realeyes realize reallies
by glasses cloth
Summary: An OC-based story in which the author applies the tragic-hero dynamic to basically everyone to tell a story of love at first sight. Starring the volleyball team of Fukuroudani, some street cats, and a white-haired girl. Rated M to be safe for adult language, innuendoes, and future mentions and details of self-harm and suicide. Hella slow updates, hella slow burn. [AkaashixOC].
1. 1

**1 we make fun and have fun with troublemakers**

The buildings that were cold and empty were lonesome for one reason only, and that was abandonment. Buildings were used for storage in its most literal sense; they were the place to put boxes of sentimental but otherwise useless belongings, the safe haven of memories from cotton-candy autumns and melodic summer times, and most importantly, the habitat of various types of people. Some people used buildings as a work place that could range from skyscrapers to little bitty bakeries, while others used it as a home to raise their children and love their spouses, to greet their beloveds and see them off to either school or work – and to simply love each other in tender warmth.

This was not a home. It was the melting pot of a number of emotions, all of them mixing together to create the pining for what could have been a home – for what could have been beautiful and lovely and warm.

Ah. She sighed. Those thoughts could only give her so much hope.

The girl leaned back against the railing while holding a box against her stomach. She was standing on the second floor of a two-story apartment building with four spaces on each floor, wearing some worn-down expression of dull contempt. She had a duffel bag hanging across her chest and that single box in her arms while a dog, some giant red husky with mismatching eyes, sat beside her patiently. She looked down to her companion.

"I guess we're home, Kou."

The dog gave a short howl. With a determined huff, the white-haired girl fished for her keys and plunged it into the lock, twisted it open, and stepped inside.

It was not a home.

* * *

 _They were kids with odd appearances. For one, the boy had messy grey tresses that were more or less unevenly cut across his forehead, and the girl had straight, pure white locks that curled at the tips with neatly cut side-bangs. Secondly, their eyes were large and round, much too watchful and curious about the world around them. The boy's irises were like gold while the girl had silvery orbs, and they were both a little more tanned than usual – although, it was more natural for the girl while the boy was simply outside every single day._

 _And it was one of_ those _days, where the energetic boy dragged the girl away from her violin lessons to play volleyball in the local court, where hopefully their two other friends would show up as well. So there they sat in wait beneath a tree located in the grassy area of the dirt court, with the girl pressed up against the bark and releasing soothing notes from her wooden instrument. The boy yawned._

" _Ya~ Tsubasa~ you're making me sleepy with that thing!"_

 _Ah. The girl momentarily put her violin down to look at him. "Well you should have waited until I finished with my lessons. I have nothing else to do until Tetsurou and Kenma show up."_

" _You can toss to me so I can practice!"_

" _All you do is practice spiking. You need to know how to do more than that if you wanna take volleyball seriously, you know." The girl then gave her skirt a tug. "And how can I play when I'm dressed like this? You're really impatient!"_

" _That's mean! It's not my fault you had lessons!"_

" _It's not my fault you don't know how to wait!"_

" _Oho? You two are always arguing."_

 _Ah. The two of them looked up as dress shoes stopped before them. Some kid with distractingly messy hair grinned down at them while another kid, his eyes focused on some game in his hands, stood behind him quietly. The both of them were dressed in what looked like a school uniform, their ties undone and blazers slouching._

 _And thus, the group of unusual kids – based off of either hair color or style or both – was completed._

" _Yo."_

" _Ah! Tetsu! Did cram school end early?"_

" _Nah, we ditched. I think one of the teachers threw a stapler at me as we ran away."_

" _Pft. Tetsurou, you'll get stupid if you do things like that. Hey, Kenma!"_

" _Mm. Hi."_

" _What do you mean by that, Tsubaka?!" He huffed before lifting his bag, showing the white ball peeking through the zipper. "So volleyball?"_

" _Yeah! Tsubaka said she wouldn't play so let's hurry up!"_

 _The girl smacked the back of his head and quickly put her violin away. "I didn't say that! Get up so I can toss to you!"_

… _ah. And that was the basis of their childhood – being volleyball and pranks, bickering, and unusual hair._

 _She wouldn't have traded it for the world._

* * *

Tsubasa gently dropped the last box and her duffel bag onto the tatami mats of her bedroom, while her dog made his rounds in the new habitat and sniffed out every corner. She hadn't changed that much from her childhood; aside from a few more inches to both her hair and her height and some thickly rounded black glasses – and maybe some piercings here and there – she wasn't unrecognizable.

But that was only appearance-wise. Personalities changed a bit easier than that.

The girl was finally returning to Japan after seven years (though, it was actually a bit more complicated than that); after losing her father towards the end of her elementary years, her mother had taken her and her older brother on a worldwide trip to not only accommodate for the woman's demanding job, but to simply get her children looking at a bigger picture. The loss of their father was devastating, sure, but there were more things in life to fill up that hole. Meeting new people of different cultures and ethnicities hopefully had them more open to the idea of people coming and going.

And then the girl was living in a single bedroom apartment with only her dog.

Ah. So much for that hope.

Tsubasa stretched and let her spine twist and bend to rid itself of the aching cramps. She was lightly dressed for the summer, clad only in shorts over tights and some white top that stopped short of her navel to show off the metallic flower and the silvery chains that hung from her belly button. Various studs pierced her ears and a ring or two pinched at her helix, while a mole – natural and beautiful among the body modifications – was situated beneath her right eye. She had some scars on the inside of her arm. Some scars on the inside of her mind.

…ah. What sort of image was she going for?

Disregarding visual appearances (she had already dealt with enough shit due to her white hair, at this point she really couldn't give less of a damn), the girl quickly got to unpacking the few boxes and bags she had. Her duffel bag was for all of her clothes – it was mainly giant sweaters, cardigans, and flannel, but it wasn't much in all honesty – and the boxes either held books and sketchbooks, or sketchbooks and books. Maybe a few sentimental items and a memory, and maybe even regrets.

Definitely regrets.

Before she knew it, she was holding a picture frame of black wood and smudged glass. The picture inside was old, paying homage to the image of four smiling children with a volleyball – and it was a memory. It was a good memory. She set it by the windowsill of her room and reached for the next frame.

This time it was of another but different group of four children, with Tsubasa included of course. She stood amidst three tall males, all within their junior high ages, with some tired but trying smile aimed at the camera. Her eyes were a bit darker than usual, but she clearly remembered the smile being of genuine happiness due to the people around her. There were two who could pass off as twins (which itself was complicated, but the younger of the two was actually Tsubasa's younger brother, which was even more complicated since the relationship was only by law, _but_ -), while the last male was the tallest and kindest amongst them. Tsubasa smiled fondly at the group, finding herself missing them immediately, then set it atop the drawer and pulled out another frame.

Ah. It was of a family – a full set of parents to compatible siblings. A family of four. Two of which were dead at present.

That was a regret. She set the thing back into the box and, seeing how the box was filled only with more regrets and just a few more memories, figured she would deal with those later and pushed it into the corner. She then stood, looked about her room, and smiled faintly.

Tatami mats. One large window. Closet. Futon with a Totoro cover. Kotatsu in the corner with a laptop (it had stickers of soot sprites on it). A keyboard in one corner, surrounded by a few other instrument cases and a bag of art supplies, and a worn down volleyball. Another corner dedicated to some worn-down desk and some rickety chair, with various tools, racks, and then even more boxes.

It wasn't home, but it was homey.

It was nice.

She could live with this, especially since her mother wouldn't be there. After returning to Japan a little over two years ago, the woman had revealed she was thinking of remarrying with the boyfriend she had kept secret for years – which, of course, wouldn't sit right with Tsubasa since their affair was the cause of a number of unfortunate things. The mother and daughter had parted ways then, with the girl keeping her father's name and falling under the legal protection of various people.

And so she was there. In her own apartment, a second-year in a high school she had yet to decide on (she was fiercely torn between a specific two), with a job and a dog and her own rules.

And a mission.

Yeah. She had a mission.

But she first had to decided if she was going to pick at dumpsters with cats or be flighty with some owls.

(Which, she already did choose since she had her uniform ready and hanging in her closet.)

((But she loved both her cats and owl and thought that the fake indecisiveness would help alleviate some of the internal suffering.))

Tsubasa grabbed her purse, swiped some beige cardigan out of her closet, and called for her dog. She grabbed her keys off the floor and trotted down the corridor to the door.

She wanted to see her cats again.

* * *

 _She never understood their friendship; they were either playing around with a volleyball or playing around with something potentially harmful and life-threatening with the intent of causing trouble for someone – there was no in-between (although, they did have some days where they slept beneath her kotatsu table while watching anime and playing games and reading manga and studying; those were a bit rare). Regardless, today was a day for the former activity, as the small girl bounced the volleyball in front of her a few times before throwing it up in the air._

 _She took a few quick steps forward before she jumped and swung her arms appropriately to perform her jump serve. Just as she reached the peak of her jump and was about to smack the ball across the admittedly worn down net of the local volleyball court, she heard a grumble and some obnoxious call of her name._

" _Tsu-ba-saaaa! You were supposed to toss to me!"_

 _Ah. The small girl slammed the ball straight down to the ground right before her, prompting the thing to bounce up into the air and eventually land back in her hands. She then huffed as she gave the ball an annoyed squeeze, before whirling around quickly and chucking it at some tall boy with messy grey hair. He yelped and fell back when it smacked his forehead._

" _Boketo! Just tossing to you isn't enough practice for me!"_

" _B-Boketo?! It's Bokuto! Bo-ku-to!"_

… _ah. Hakurei Tsubasa caught the ball once more as it bounced towards her. She pouted and glared._

" _Bokuto is Boketo when he doesn't understand what practice means!"_

" _That's mean! You're mean- you're a really big meanie!" The tall boy pouted indignantly before releasing a puff of frustrated air, turning on his heel and crossing his arms. "I don't wanna play with you anymore!"_

 _Tsubasa deadpanned at his back. "Then why are you still standing there?"_

" _I-I'm waiting on Tetsu!"_

" _Yo, you called?"_

 _Tsubasa stiffened with a glower as some other tall kid with profoundly messy black locks trotted onto the local volleyball court with another kid following behind him, his hair black as well and cut close to his chin. Bokuto Koutarou brightened and immediately went over to greet the taller one, while the second one, his face buried in some gaming device, quietly walked over to the girl._

" _Hey, Kenma," she greeted. "Dragged outside again?"_

" _Mm."_

" _Still playing Kingdom Come?"_

" _Yeah."_

" _I'm stuck on the level with the tomb filled with ghouls. Are you past that?"_

" _Yeah. I just beat that level. The next one is a lot harder 'cause you have to-"_

" _Hey, nerds!" Ah. The two of them looked up as the tall, black-haired boy of the group called for them. "We doing volleyball or something else? I got some cool firecrackers."_

 _Tsubasa's face immediately contorted with a pout as she set her eyes on Koutarou, who immediately turned away with a huff and stubbornly-crossed arms. Seeing that, Kuroo Tetsurou quirked an eyebrow._

" _Again?" he prompted. "That's the third time this week, Tsubaka. What'd you do this time?"_

" _Why are you assuming it's my fault?" She chucked the volleyball at the black-haired kid. "I was trying to practice my jump serve and Koutarou kept interrupting me! All I did was call him Boketo – it's nothing new!"_

 _The ball was thrown back to her. "That doesn't make it okay, bully."_

" _You're one to talk, always dragging Kenma out of his comfort zone. What was the threat this time? A little dip of water for his PSP2?"_

 _Ah. Tetsurou stiffened at that and he glared. "That's different! It's not good for anyone to spend all their time inside!"_

" _Well it's not good to interrupt someone when they're practicing!"_

 _Their noses and foreheads bumped together as they growled at each other. Tsubasa eventually sighed harshly and forced the volleyball into Tetsurou's hands, pushing past him with an agitated contortion of her lips and eyebrows._

" _Whatever. I have lessons anyway."_

" _O-oi! Where are you going? I wanted to blow up old man Akkey's sake shop!"_

" _Do it yourself."_

 _And she was trotting out of the fenced court. Koutarou watched the girl's slowly-disappearing figure from the corner of his eye before stubbornly huffing and looking away once more; he was mad at the girl, and as such, he couldn't call after her energetically or tackle her in an embrace like he usually would. But knowing that, why did he frown the slightest bit while worriedly watching that ladybug flitting by his feet? Beside him, Tetsurou tutted._

" _Tch, what's been her problem recently?" he muttered. "She's been randomly mean like that for a week."_

 _Kozume Kenma briefly glanced up from his game before walking forth blindly. Tetsurou looked to him._

" _Oi, where are you going?"_

" _I'm gonna help her with the level with the ghouls."_

" _You too? Sheesh…"_

 _Ah. And the two left behind could only look at each other, before Tetsurou tutted and held up the volleyball._

" _Well, at least_ we'll _get something done today."_

* * *

She couldn't believe she tried to navigate an area she didn't know that well just to see some people she wasn't sure would want to see her – especially since such wandering never went well in the other countries she had visited. Regardless, her mind focused on her old friends and she gulped nervously. It wasn't like she could blame any of them if they were upset. She'd left without a word, and the last thing she told any of them was the date for her father's funeral service. Honestly, she'd be surprised and even a little worried if some of them weren't, at the very least, awkward with her.

But she wouldn't deny how relieved she would be if they weren't.

Tsubasa eventually came to find a station that was lacking the typical rush of people other stations had. It was a small station, only owning to a somewhat large, barred platform with benches and vending machines while grass poked out around the concrete. It gave off some antique, and beautifully dusty atmosphere as the setting sun cast its saturated glows over its cracked concrete and rusty bars, and though it wasn't her real destination, it was a lovely sight for her sore eyes. The girl sighed softly and gave a gentle tug to her dog's ear.

"Let's go," she murmured.

The two found themselves standing by the stairs stupidly, before the girl sat on a nearby bench that creaked hauntingly with age. Her silver eyes looked about the skyscrapers in the distance and she frowned, discontent with finding the place to be unfamiliar. _I should've gotten a map of this area. I didn't live here before._ She pulled out her phone and went through her contacts.

 _I'm sure numbers have changed over the years,_ she thought to herself, biting down on her bottom lip. _But… maybe not home phones? Hm… Let's try Kenma first. Tetsurou will yell at me, I think._

And so, she was calling the Kozume household quickly. Her hands shook with nervousness and her heartbeat thrummed against her neck while sweat made her skin glisten in the city haze. A few rings in, maybe a heart attack later, the line picked up.

" _Kozume household, who is this?"_

Tsubasa's eyes widened at the familiar voice.

"Kozume-san?" the girl responded, hesitantly. "Ah- sorry! I- um- this is Hakurei Tsubasa. I'm not sure if you remember me, but I played with Kenma a lot when we were children…"

" _Eh? Tsubasa-chan?"_ The woman gave a small gasp. _"Is this really Tsubasa-chan?!"_

"Er- y-yeah… I just got back to Tokyo. I was hoping to talk to Kenma."

There was a quick ruckus on the other side, presumably a collection of excited gasps and feet running about. Something like a door slamming open sounded.

" _Ken-kun! Get up, get up! Tsubasa-chan called!"_

Ah. The girl stiffened immediately. She could hear the muffled static in her ear as the woman, Kenma's mother, handed the phone over to her son. A brief second passed, followed by a few more moments of hesitation, and he spoke.

" _Hello? Haku?"_

…ah. She wanted to cry. Her dog, Kou, gave a comforting press of his cold wet nose. "A-ah. Kenma. Hey." Shit. Her voice was wavering. "Um… Long time no see? Or hear, I guess?"

"… _it's been a while."_

"Yeah." His voice sounded deeper. Well- it wasn't quite deep, but it wasn't as light and mellow as it used to be. She wondered how she sounded to the boy. "Yeah… Can I come see you right now?"

" _The door's always been open for you."_

She smiled gently at the sentiment. "Okay, lemme rephrase that: can you pick me up right now? I don't know this area too well. I'm at some rundown station in Setagaya."

"… _Setagaya? You mean here, in Tokyo?"_

"Yeah. Moved back. Well – moved back as in came back to Tokyo. I don't remember living in Setagaya. But I'm kinda lost right now."

" _Thirty minutes max. Stay there. I'm bringing Kuro."_ Before the girl could protest, he quickly added, _"Mom just went next door and told him. Gimme your phone number."_ Ah. She relayed the digits to the boy. _"Okay. See you soon."_

"Yeah. See you."

 _Click._

And that was that.

Tsubasa sat back against the bench and dipped her fingers into the fur of her dog as he laid his head atop her lap, eyes closed blissfully despite the busy city buzz around them. She put her earbuds in and listened to her music, patiently waiting for a fated reunion.

* * *

" _You don't have lessons," the black-haired boy noted quietly, following the girl into her bedroom and gently closing the door behind them. He flicked the lights on and nearly gagged at the dust particles that were suddenly visible in the air. "You haven't had lessons in a while."_

 _Tsubasa nodded slowly, shuffling over to her bed to collapse upon the fluffy white sheets. Kenma stared after her silently, before approaching her bedside and sitting on the floor with his back to her. He didn't like confrontation. He'd done enough by saying those two sentences._

 _The house was devoid of life. The corridors were black and the windows were covered by thick, heavy curtains of forgotten velvet. There was dust on the tables, on the couches and sofas and lamps, even on the floors and doorknobs. It was a cold, frigid place that was hardly recognizable, and it seemed the girl's room was the only place even remotely occupied. Kenma pursed his lips at the frightening silence, before gulping quietly and sheepishly pulling at his sweater._

" _Where's your brother?"_

" _Staying with his best friend."_

" _Mother?"_

" _Work."_

" _Father?"_

" _Hospital."_

 _Kenma's eyes widened slightly. So that's what it was. He looked over his shoulder briefly at the girl before turning away quickly. He then hugged his knees to his chest, observing the seams in his jeans._

" _Is he okay?" he eventually asked._

 _There was a shuffle. The boy looked over again to find the girl burying herself beneath the thick blankets, her white hair blending in with the sheets and barely poking out of the covers._

" _No."_

 _He was silent. The girl continued quietly, almost as if she were talking to herself._

" _Nii-san and mama never come home anymore. And when they do, they argue. About stupid things. And mama won't tell me how papa's doing. And then she yells at me and says I'm being selfish."_

 _Ah. The girl gripped her blankets tightly, her shoulders shaking. Kenma had turned at some point to watch her. Again, he turned away, but not after reaching up blindly and settling his fingers into the girl's hair. He combed through the strands as best as he could in the awkward position._

" _I don't want to be here."_

" _Okay."_

" _I want to see papa."_

" _Okay."_

" _I'm hungry."_

 _A small, shaky and cold hand grabbed his fingers. The boy held her hand and gave a slight squeeze, something she returned weakly as she finally sniffled into her pillow._

" _Okay."_

* * *

"Are you going to yell at her?"

" _No_. I'm just gonna break her spine when I hug her."

"Kuro."

"What? Don't I get that much?"

"And if she cries?"

The tall, lanky young man scowled at the thought as the two of them rounded the corner and finally came upon the station's front entrance. " _Please_ , she's not gonna cry. She isn't someone who cries." _Disregard two years ago. Only you know about that._

"Hm."

"But if yelling at her _does_ make her cry, then maybe I will."

"Don't."

"Why not?"

"It's just dumb."

Kenma paused in his steps and blinked. Kuroo followed the teen's gaze to a bench not too far from them, where a red and white dog sat beside a girl who was stretching and yawning tiredly. The girl, her white hair absurdly long and gathered in some ponytail that tickled the low of her back, turned to them slowly. The low sun behind her transformed her short, but curvy figure into a familiar silhouette, and in the darkness, silver eyes blinked furiously behind round black frames. The two males blinked back.

 _Is that her?_

Ah. Appearances really did change over time.

Kuroo squinted and leaned closer to the girl, prompting her to stiffen and lean back. Was that… a belly button ring? He spotted two studs on each each lobe with thin rings pinching the outside of her helix and another stud poking her forward helix. _Did she have those piercings before?_ She had glasses. They were different from last time. Round and black, unlike the former rectangular lens. Cardigan. Crop top. Shorts. Tights and beaten sneakers. _Nice fucking legs._ The girl's eyebrow twitched.

"Um… okay, long time no see and all but your staring is super rude and really uncomfortable."

…ah. Kuroo huffed and stood up straight. "Wow, it's been seven years and _that's_ the first thing you say? Let's go, Kenma." And he turned to leave.

Tsubasa immediately jerked, her expression turning to one of panic. "Wait no, don't go!"

The male paused and quirked an eyebrow over his shoulder. Tsubasa straightened up as well with the same frustrated pout on her face, before it ultimately broke apart with quivering lips and large, shiny irises. Kuroo stiffened as she whimpered, not exactly crying but not exactly calm and composed either. Her attitude took a complete one-eighty from just a few seconds ago, and the sudden change was giving the male whiplash.

"Y-you guys really grew up," she said, her voice shaky. "I-I really missed you two!"

She hugged Kenma first. Or rather, she attacked him and squeezed whatever little life energy he had out of him via an iron-like grip. The teen eventually managed to return the hug, although it was only done with a simple hand on her shoulder that was more or less to get the girl to step away. She found it satisfactory and moved to tackle Kuroo next, only for the young man to hold up his hands and jump back.

"H-hold up, shorty, I don't even know for sure if you're really Tsubasa!"

"That's mean! Of course it's me! What other bitch has white hair?!"

"Ah! That right there! Tsubaka was too prideful to admit she really was a bitch! Who are you?!"

"Tetsurou is stupid!"

Ah. She quickly kicked the male where it counted. As Kuroo fell to his knees while waterfalls ran from his eyes, the girl's dog comforted him by licking at his face and sniffing his hair. Tsubasa then turned to Kenma and stared up at him intensely. The teen met her gaze briefly before averting his own, his eyes darting around uncomfortably.

"W-what?"

"Kenma dyed his hair," the girl commented, before smiling brightly despite her obvious shakiness. "But he's still Kenma. I'm glad."

Kenma looked at the girl properly, his eyes widening ever so slightly at the way her grin made her squint. _Familiar._ Warmly, it seemed, his eyes became lidded and he nodded slightly, once again looking away.

"Yeah," he said lamely. "Same for you, with all those piercings."

"E-eh? Are they that weird?"

"Not really. It doesn't matter to me as long as you're still you."

Tsubasa's grin became gentle and she nodded back. "Mm." She then smirked and looked down to Kuroo, who was still on the ground but was now able to pet the dog and sit up a little. "If only Tetsurou wasn't so stupid and could accept change. Tsk tsk. I told you you'd get dumb from ditching cram school~"

"S-shut up. I-I know now, alright?"

Kuroo then slowly pulled himself onto his feet. The girl situated herself in front of him once more, arms spread expectantly and eyes large and bright and watching. She was smiling- she was _beaming_ at him. The male tried to keep his eyes from wandering before he finally bent forward, hands in his pockets, and let the girl wrap her arms around his neck. He wheezed for air as she hugged him with the same strength she had used with Kenma, but ultimately rolled his eyes and settled his arms around her waist. When they separated, Kuroo nodded over his shoulder.

"Family's waiting on you. Let's hurry up and get home so we can have dinner."

Tsubasa nearly cried right then and there upon hearing the statement. _Family._ Instead, she opted for blinking at him in surprise. "Huh? Dinner? I only came to see you two."

He tutted. "It's been seven damn years, Tsubasa. Like we're just gonna meet n' greet after seven years and leave it at that. Hurry up and move your fat ass."

Ah. She immediately went to jab his side, trotting ahead after doing so with Kou following after her. She smirked over her shoulder. "I'd rather have a fat ass than no ass like you."

"Oi!"

…ah. And the two of them were shoving each other around as they made their way down the street, with the dog jumping around them excitably. Kenma watched them with the slightest deadpan but eventually smiled slightly; it was almost as if the girl hadn't left unannounced after dropping the bomb of tragic news on them.

* * *

"Why are we staying in my room?"

Dinner was over and night had fallen. The Kozumes had joined the Kuroo household in both preparing dinner and greeting the white-haired girl after seven years, and it was undoubtedly a loud reunion filled with tears and several photos. Kuroo's younger brothers, Arata and Fumio, weren't personally familiar with the girl and had only seen her in pictures, but she had an aura about her that captivated them and had them listening intently whenever she spoke. First-name basis was easily achieved and the girl was nothing short of a big sister, despite her lack of proper height.

While Tsubasa and Kuroo were storming into the Kozume household, the girl had left her dog with Kuroo's younger brothers; Kenma's parents were more or less hesitant about letting a dog inside, and the two young males were fond of the animal as soon as they saw him – just like their older brother was. Kou listened to his master and obediently stayed with the two when bedtime came around, and now in the Kozume household, Tsubasa let out a tired yawn.

"So rock-paper-scissors for the bed?" the girl proposed, wiping away a sleepy tear. Kenma's brow twitched as the two ignored him and his question.

"Oi."

"Yeah, fine with me. Get ready, Kenma."

The teen huffed silently before walking in between the two and fixing his bedsheets. "It's no contest. Mom said Kuro and I are taking the futons. Haku can have the bed."

"Wait what _why_?"

"Winner!"

"Kuro, you don't know a thing about courtesy, so of course you don't understand." Just then, the bedroom door opened and his mother, a short woman with equally short black hair, came in with the futons folded atop one another, obscuring the woman's face. "Ah. Thanks, mom."

"Mhm~ don't stay up too late, you three. Tetsu-kun, Ken-kun, you two have practice tomorrow morning."

"I know. Thanks mom."

"Yup. Good night, you three."

And the door closed once more after they returned the sentiment. Tsubasa, already comfortable in the thin but warm sheets, smirked up at Kuroo as he glared. "Mad? Please stay mad."

"What're you so smug about? First you borrow one of my shirts to wear, and then you're borrowing Kenma's bed? Shameless bitch."

"Oho? I see someone's temper is as short as their dick."

Ah. And he was grabbing her by the collar of her- _his_ shirt. "God _dammit you_ -"

Kenma chucked one of the futons at the taller male. "Shut up. Since when were you two so vulgar?"

Kuroo tutted and threw the futon down, flattening it out beside the one Kenma had set up right beside his bed, before unfolding the thick cover it came with. Kenma, with a roll of his eyes, moved to turn out the big lights after plugging in some cute, dragon nightlight. Tsubasa blinked at this before she smiled softly at the teen.

"It's fine," she said knowingly, catching his attention. "You can turn out all the lights. The dark isn't scary anymore."

And the two males blinked at the girl. Kenma then nodded silently and requested for the girl to pull up the blinds by his bed as he pulled out the nightlight. Moonlight streamed into the room and they found it satisfactory. When both Kuroo and Kenma finally settled into their futons, a few minutes of toneless insults was thrown between the girl and the taller, older male. As such:

"Bitch."

"Asshole."

"Slut."

"Fuckboy."

"Homewrecker."

" _Cocksucker_."

"Why-" Kenma slapped his hands over his eyes. "- _are you two like this_?"

And the two of them snickered. Tsubasa folded her glasses up and set it down on top of Kenma's forehead, before drawing her arm back into the warmth of his blankets. He sighed silently and put the glasses off to the side, before pulling the blanket over his head a bit more. Beside him, Kuroo hummed.

"We're missing someone," he said casually, quietly. Kenma immediately stiffened and he grimaced as explosively loud memories surfaced in his mind.

" _No we're not_."

"You mean Koutarou?" Tsubasa prompted. Kenma huffed.

"Yeah." Kuroo turned onto his side, propping his head up with his hand and looking up at the girl through the darkness. His hazel eyes were bright despite the dim environment, and the strands of his irises tightened with calculation as he watched the girl closely. "So I assume you're going to Fukuroudani since you're in Setagaya?"

Tsubasa crossed her arms over the edge of the bed and leaned her chin on top, smiling softly. Her grey irises were soft, gentle and lovely – but they missed a certain spark from the olden days. "Yeah. The school's like a ten minute walk from where I live now."

"Pft. That's the reason? You're gonna get him into a permanent emo mode if he hears that."

"You're just mad Nekoma won't have a female manager. But if it makes you feel any better, I was very close to choosing cats over owls."

"How close?"

"I had to flip a coin."

Hearing that, the young man scowled. "Seriously."

"Yeah. It was a hard decision! Sometimes you just gotta let fate decide!"

"Haku, do you need to take off your jewelry?" Kenma suddenly asked, peeking over the edge of his blanket. The girl blinked before nodding, making a quiet noise of remembrance.

"Almost forgot." Ah. She proceeded to sit up and remove the silvery jewelry, eventually reaching under her- under _Kuroo's_ shirt to remove the one hanging from her navel. Kuroo turned his gaze away as Kenma held his hand out.

"Don't forget about your hair. It's bad to sleep with it in a ponytail. You'll go bald."

"Okay."

Kuroo watched as Kenma stood and placed the collection of jewelry on his desk, before taking the girl's hair-tie as well and setting it beside the pile. When the teen moved to settle back beneath his futon, Kuroo hummed once more, watching the thick white locks curl at the low of her back.

"Well someone grew out their hair."

"Yeah. I see your bedhead is as prominent as ever."

"Still can't help it. I tried gelling it back a few years ago but it just made it worse."

"Really? At least it adds character."

"You think?" He smirked. "What kind of character?"

"Your bedhead is the telltale sign that you are a fuckboy. It's a good warning sign."

Kenma sighed harshly. " _Please_ you two."

"Sorry," came the synchronized response.

"Can we talk about life though?" Kuroo then said, turning onto his back and folding his arms behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling, where the fan whirred lackadaisically. "What's Tsubaka been through recently?"

Tsubasa hummed softly, hugging the blankets against her chest. "Well… I've been travelling the world. Been all over with mom and my brother."

"Yeah? Lucky girl. Was it fun?"

"Mhm. I have a box of souvenirs for you guys. You guys should come to my place sometime. Help me furnish it, or something."

"Heh. So Tamo-nii's good and all? Better since your dad…"

"Mm…" Tsubasa's grip tightened ever so slightly. "I guess he's better. In a better place, you know?" Hearing that, the two males looked to the girl with the smallest turn of their heads. Her eyes closed slowly, her mind buzzing suddenly. "Killed himself two years ago. Couldn't take it anymore."

Their eyes were suddenly immensely large as they tensed. Tsubasa released a soft breath, finding her shoulders easing up and relaxing.

"We came back to Japan two years ago, hoping to settle down," she murmured, sleep tugging at her systems. "But then mom reopened old wounds. Said she had a boyfriend all this time and was planning on remarrying. Tamotsu-nii-san didn't take the news well, so he ended it as soon as he heard. Afterwards, mom remarried regardless and in the rush of abandonment, she left me with an old friend in Iwatobi."

"…are you serious?" Kuroo murmured, his voice suddenly raspy and small.

"Yeah. I was there for almost a year but the family I was with was always busy with work, so they sent me to a relative in Miyagi while they searched for my uncle. Both families were really great, took care of me more than my mom ever did." Tsubasa smiled fondly at the memory of the second family, black hair and navy irises flashing before her. "They had a kid just a year younger, but he calls me big sister. It was really nice being with them. But when time passed and the Nanases found my uncle, I had to think about what I wanted to do, 'cause at the moment, I actually had a lot of options."

Kuroo gulped thickly, moving to sit up quietly. _So that's why she was back for a few days two years ago. It must have been… for Tamo-nii's funeral service._

"And? You're here now, so… what do you want to do?"

The girl's eyes opened slowly. She sat up as well, smiling softly through the darkness.

"I want to watch my childhood friends grow up, and grow up with them."

…ah. The two of them were speechless. There was a girl sitting before them, one that was physically similar to a girl they had known in their early childhood and elementary days. The girl was vulgar but graceful, a perfect balance of rough and gentle, and she- she was _there_ , not as the same girl from those early days, but as a young woman mature and grown. There was a smile on her face that was drastically different from the toothy grin from way back then, and she spoke with a tone of experience and individuality.

She wasn't the same from back then – but despite that dramatic change, despite the tragedy of it all, they knew it was a change for the better. She was always aiming to please someone – to impress a parent with her adept musical and artistic ability, or to compete with a sibling with her physical prowess, or to make the masses smile with a combination of any of her other skills. She was different, and she was beautiful. Of course, there were absolutely certain feelings she was hiding, and she was probably hiding a few more events from them, in all honesty, but this…

This was okay for now.

Kuroo fell back onto his futon and turned onto his side, his back to the girl. He closed his eyes, seemingly in peace.

The memory of a girl screaming against a tombstone dissipated into little flecks for the moment.

 _Yeah._

"As long as you know what you want," he murmured, "then I'm not complaining."

 _She's better now._

Tsubasa's grin broadened and she nodded, leaning back into the soft mattress and curling up on her side. Kenma stared up at her when her eyes closed, before humming to himself quietly and closing his own eyes.

"I can't believe someone like you has a little brother now," Kuroo then commented, snickering lazily. "Poor kid."

"What's that supposed to mean?! Tobi-kun looks up to me!"

"He must be pretty short then."

"Hmph. _Anyway_ , I'm gonna be working at my father's shop," Tsubasa then said quietly. "You know, the bakery and café combo with the music store next door? Uncle Sumi – if you guys remember him – runs it now."

"Really now?" Kuroo replied lamely, his voice thick with drowsiness. "That's where you're living?"

"Nah. I would have lived there if I'd decided to take it over, but I'm not ready to own a small business yet. I live by there though – and technically it does belong to me. It's really close to Fukuroudani."

"Apple pie was good there," Kenma commented quietly. "Do we get discounts?"

"Maybe. Depends if uncle remembers you."

"Hn…"

"The music store closed down, didn't it? So you're in the kitchen? Maid costume?"

"Yeah. I'll only be a waitress during the week, so I won't be able to be involved with the volleyball team that much." Tsubasa's eyes opened and she smiled at the sight of the two males drifting off. It was a familiar sight that was missing a piece, but they all knew that piece would return in due time. "But the weekend is for the violins. I'm gonna start making them like how dad used to. Hopefully we can get the music shop to open up again."

"Heh… Don't push yourself."

"Yeah." The girl closed her eyes and finally figured it was time to stop. "Night."

Sleepy mumblings to return the sentiment was what she heard last, before everything gradually blacked out into a long-deserved slumber.

* * *

They spent the morning of the following Sunday bringing the girl back to her apartment and visiting her late father's shop. When they had first woken, the girl had abandoned the bed and was curled up along Kenma's back while the boy was more or less using Kuroo as a pillow, since Kuroo had taken Kenma's pillow somewhere along the night to properly sleep in his trademark position. While at her apartment, they took notice of the emptiness of the living room and the lack of life the entire place seemed to have, and they winced slightly at how it reminded them of the abandoned state of the girl's old home while her father was in the hospital. They figured, however, that with due time and the reunion of her and their owl-like friend, the apartment would become warm and lively with everything she missed out on.

They didn't stay long, only opting to raid her drawers and see what sort of scandalous things she secretly wore – which Kuroo actually did by himself, and found that the girl actually did settle for a few lacy bralettes and strappy cotton sports bras for lazy summer days while she and Kenma faced off in _Kingdom Come V_. Amidst his raid he found a picture frame of the girl and some other kids, where he found his eyes drawn to one particularly tall and black-haired with wide blue eyes, atop the drawer.

(Although there was another in the picture who looked almost exactly like the boy, Kuroo could tell the boy was younger – and their expressions were also vastly different.)

((The assumedly older one wore nothing but an uninterested deadpan, while the other owned to a _blank_ deadpan.))

(((They were definitely different.)))

He found the face vaguely familiar, but figured if he wanted to live to see another day, he shouldn't disturb the long awaited matches between the two in their favorite video game. Tsubasa then gifted them both with a wrapped box filled with foreign souvenirs that she thought they would like, and they even saw that she had another box wrapped for the missing piece to their puzzle.

Their visit at _Powder_ , the bakery-café previously owned by her father but now owned by her uncle, was quick and filled with warm embraces. Hakurei Masumi remembered the two well, and shortly interrogated them as to why they hadn't visited him earlier, but regardless, he sent them off with the bakery's best apple pie.

But lunch time was approaching and they had to leave. Something about Sunday practice which they were already late to. Tsubasa smiled up at the two of them as they waited for the bullet train, with Kenma practically drooling over the packaged pie and Kuroo talking with some teammate over the phone.

"Yeah, sorry about this. We'll be there in an hour or so. Yeah… Alright, see ya."

He hung up then. As Kuroo pocketed his phone, he found the girl's gaze flickering between the both of them, and he smirked.

"Oho? What're you looking at? My eyes are up here." Ah. He wagged his eyebrows suggestively. The girl simply grinned warmly, not at all fazed by his implications.

"You two really grew up," she said, drawing their attention. "Kenma got tall. But then Tetsurou got really tall. I don't even reach your shoulder."

The black-haired male measured her when she said that, setting his hand atop her head and pulling it towards him. His hand bumped up against his chest. "Wow. You really are short. Guess seven years only gave you longer hair and piercings."

"Yeah." Tsubasa looked up as the bullet train rolled in, screeching to a stop right before them. It was empty and the doors opened expectantly.

The girl caught the both of them in a group hug, squeezing them as best as she could before they had to leave. When she stepped back, Kuroo gave her hair an affectionate tug while Kenma simply bent down and briefly pressed his forehead against her shoulder. The two of them were then trotting into the train, waving and grinning brightly. There was no way they could have missed the brief, fleeting expression of pain that flickered across her face, and with his trademark smirk, Kuroo cupped a hand around his mouth.

"See you later," he said, "Tsubaka!"

Kenma nodded. "See you."

The girl's eyes widened slightly before she returned the nod, now beaming properly and waving with both hands.

"See you later, Kenma, Tetsurou!"

And that was that. It was Monday morning then, and the girl was standing in her bathroom and observing her appearance; the uniform was cute and catholic, being a black skirt, a white dress shirt, a light blue ribbon, and a grey blazer. Her typical jewelry was stored away in a box in her closet and all she wore for accessory was a simple watch and a few hair-ties around her wrist. She opted for black thigh-high socks and had her long white hair wrapped up in a neat bun. She looked down to Kou, who sat patiently by her side.

"Do I look prepared, Kou?"

The dog yipped, his bushy tail wagging excitedly.

"Good. You'll be good to Uncle Sumi while I'm gone, right?"

"Wan!"

"Nice. Let's get going, then."

And they were off. As Tsubasa carried her bike down the stairs and took off down the street, her dog following right beside her, she navigated the streets and alleys quickly in order to reach her uncle's bakery, where she dropped off her dog with a loving kiss. Uncle Sumi gave her a bento in return before waving at her as she left, promising to keep the dog until it was time for school to let out. With that, she was speeding down a hill and making her way to the academy for her first day of high school.

Tsubasa, now standing at the doors leading into her classroom, tugged at her skirt nervously as she waited for the homeroom teacher to call her in. She somehow felt insecure without her earrings and belly button ring. The white-haired girl straightened up immediately as she heard the teacher call for her to enter. The door slid open and light shone on her.

She took a deep breath and stepped inside, reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.

 _I'm here, Koutarou._

 **word count: 8,219**


	2. 2

**Author's note? omg wow**

 **Hi :D**

 **So. I write this... to relieve stress and stuff 'cause life kinda sucks, so I don't really expect this to get anywhere... SO to whoever actually reads this and enjoys it, thank you :)**

 **I write a lot. And never post anything. So this is the first time I'm posting my shit, so... yeah. Ha. I'm glad I decided to do this while in college. Gives me a reason to procrastinate. But uh yeah I write a lot and... even though the description says "hella slow updates," I actually have this written up to chapter six. So. There's that. Uh. But after chapter six, if I decide to continue, there'll probably be hella slow updates as promised.**

 **I write a lot. So. Yeah. Chapters are, at the very very very least 5,000 words. My max is 10,000. If I ever actually write up to 10,000 words, which I have, then I'm having a bad fuckin' day. So. Yeah. Um. Thanks for your time :D**

 **And seriously thanks for reading :D**

 **-glasses cloth**

* * *

 **2 there's history here and like hell i'm gonna let you go**

" _Tsubasaaaaa!"_

 _Ah. The cry came right outside her window. Tsubasa looked up with a jump and startled eyes, only for her expression to break into something bright and giddy as she met familiar golden irises. The white-haired girl stood from her desk and trotted to the window, throwing it open and immediately hugging her best friend._

" _Let me in, let me in!"_

 _She grinned and nodded. With her arms wrapped around his back, she tossed her weight backwards and pulled the grey-haired boy up and into her room. They fell on the floor with a soft thump, the boy crushing the girl with his weight._

" _Koutarou, you're heavy!"_

 _Koutarou grinned cheekily and embraced the girl, laughing and rolling them around the carpeted floor until they bumped into one of the girl's bookshelves. They were laying on their sides then, grinning stupidly at each other and giggling at their messy hair._

" _Hi Tsubasa!"_

" _Hi Koutarou!"_

" _What're you doing?"_

" _Studying. What about you?"_

 _Koutarou's toothy smile broadened and he bumped his forehead up against the girl's. "I wanted to be here so I came here!"_

" _Why did you want to be here?"_

" _Because you're here!"_

… _ah. The girl's eyes lit up like the moon at that and she beamed gently._

 _The two of them remained there, laying on the dark carpet and simply enjoying each other's presence._

* * *

It seemed to be a lot louder than usual, but it wasn't anything he paid any mind to. Akaashi Keiji let his eyes drift to a close as the classroom's excited chitchat soon turned into static; with how the captain of the volleyball team, which he was vice-captain of, was ten times louder than his classroom at the moment, it was easy to block out the noise and simply daze off in wait for the day to start. He did catch a few snippets of conversation here and there, however, and it ultimately reached him no matter how at peace he looked.

"So what do you think about it, Akaashi?" an excited classmate asked, being some male with short brown hair.

Akaashi opened his eyes slowly before turning to look up at the classmate. "About what?"

"The new student, duh!" The classmate, some kid by the name of Takashi, kneeled by his desk and crossed his arms on top. "Haven't you heard the rumors? We're getting someone new, and they're a beauty! Any thoughts?"

Ah. The setter simply stared. "The school year has barely started and April isn't over yet. It's quite early for a new student."

"Geh… That's not the point!" Takashi stood with a sigh, pressing his hands against his hips. "Can't believe one of the smartest and most popular guys here is so bland. Live it up a little, would ya? There's no reason a guy like you should be in your lonesome like this."

There wasn't time to reply, and it's not like he would have anyway. He'd had his male classmates try to encourage him to 'live it up' before, and he was never given the time or chance to properly reply. They probably wouldn't have listened anyway. Akaashi looked up to the front of the classroom as the door slid open for their homeroom teacher, being a handsome man in his early thirties. Just before the doors closed, the setter caught the briefest glimpse of white, and he tilted his head curiously.

"Yosh~ mornin' everyone. Settle down, would you? I know you've heard rumors, but you won't get to see for yourselves if you're impatient like this."

The second-years were immediately rushing to their seats, with an occasional murmur of positive anxiety from a few of them. The homeroom teacher, Tachibana, smiled in satisfaction.

"Good. So as you all very _obviously_ know, we've got a new student today. Don't bombard her with too many questions, alright?"

"Yes!"

"Yosh. Hakurei-san, please come in now."

And the door slid open. Akaashi's eyes widened. A wave of awe-struck gasps rose up as some white-haired girl stepped in, her skin naturally tanned and the school uniform fitting her nicely. Her pure white locks were drawn up in a bun that was neat and tight, and smooth side-bangs parted towards the right of her face. Large, doe-like silver irises blinked behind round black glasses, and a mole sitting beneath her right eye had the classroom captivated. She reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, face bowed slightly before lifting up to the light.

Akaashi felt his throat dry and he blinked rapidly to awaken from the random daze he'd fallen under, before gulping roughly and composing himself. The girl moved to stand before the classroom after neatly writing her name up on the chalkboard, and with an encouraging nod from the homeroom teacher, she turned to her new classmates and smiled.

"My name is Hakurei Tsubasa, but please call me Tsubasa. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

And she bowed politely. When the girl stood up straight, an onslaught of curious questions was thrown at her, and she flinched back slightly. Akaashi watched as Tachibana-sensei quickly went to calming the classroom while the girl stood there awkwardly, glancing around at her classmates' faces and observing them silently. Her eyes then settled on him, situated towards the back by the windows, and the two of them blinked at each other. She averted her gaze as the class finally quieted down.

"Wow, you guys suck~" Tachibana-sensei mocked with a cheeky grin. "Since you couldn't control yourselves, you'll have to wait until break to ask Hakurei-san anything."

"Eh?! Sensei, why?!"

"That's cruel, Tachi-sensei!"

"C'mon…"

The man laughed aloud. "Too bad, so sad. Yosh, Hakurei-san~! Please take your seat beside Akaashi-kun, way in the back. Akaashi-kun, raise your hand please!"

…ah. The setter, his gaze turned away, raised his hand as asked. As the girl made her way to the seat beside his, right against the windows, she nodded to the classmates she passed along the way politely. Tachibana-sensei smiled unknowingly at the setter.

"Akaashi-kun, you can show Hakurei-san around during lunch, right?"

Akaashi blinked slowly before nodding. "Yes."

"Then that's that! Notebooks out, let's get the day started!"

"Yes…"

The girl sat quickly after nodding in acknowledgement to the setter, before taking out a notebook and a pen. Akaashi took quick note of how the notebook was dotted with the soot sprites from _My Neighbor Totoro_ , before looking ahead to the front of the class where Tachibana-sensei was reviewing the previous day of class. The male ignored how a few of his classmates, including the brunette from earlier, glared jealously at him.

Ah. The setter suddenly felt drained.

* * *

Tsubasa yawned and stretched as the lunch bell rang, dropping her pen in the dip of her notebook and wiping at the sleepy tears in her eyes. When the first class break had come, a majority of her classmates swarmed her desk and prodded the girl with curious questions, mainly consisting of what high school she was coming from (which she answered with Iwatobi even though she didn't actually attend school there), her best subjects (she introduced herself as a jack-of-all-trades, but also said she still wasn't that reliable), why her hair was white (she might as well have given a college-level lecture on genetics right then and there), and, of course, if she was single.

(Which she said, yes, she was single, but no, she was not interested in dating.)

((This more or less turned the classmates off and they returned to their seats after that, with only the genuinely curious ones staying to ask a few more questions.))

That aside, the girl had other reasons for being tired and sleep-deprived. She had spent last night doing her best to sift through the mess her late father left her in their music shop, be it clusters of unfinished musical compositions or chips of wood that were dusty with age rather than sawdust. Her first goal was to get the music store's floorboards at least cleared and polished, but so far, everything was for naught as the demons in her head made it more of a mess than it was.

When she settled down from her stretches, she looked to the classmate on her right and found him sitting patiently, waiting for her it seemed. She smiled out of courtesy.

"Ready?" the male asked. He took silent notice of the bento just barely poking out of the girl's bag. "Fukuroudani is a big academy, but the tour shouldn't take long."

Tsubasa nodded and stood, just as the male's phone buzzed suddenly. The girl then found herself standing there patiently in wait as he checked the text, letting her eyes wander about the large classroom. The walls were white and clean, trimmed with dark brown while the wide windows on her left were similarly supported. The floors were dark as well and same with the desks, but the light that streamed in kept the place well-lit. She looked to her tour guide as he tutted.

"Sorry about that," he said, rummaging through his bag and taking out a notebook. "Do you mind if we stop by the third-year hall really quick? I need to drop something off."

Tsubasa nodded quickly. "Yeah, sure."

And they were off. Tsubasa listened closely as her seatmate, some guy by the name of Akaashi, pointed out important rooms and introduced teachers as they passed them on their way to the third-year hallway. There were many people staring at the girl and her hair, and many of them whispered to their friends with awed tones. Used to the attention, Tsubasa was able to ignore the watchful eyes, but she also took silent notice of how some of the girls actually greeted Akaashi with flushed cheeks and squeals. When the two second-years eventually came upon their destination, Tsubasa's phone began to buzz noisily within her blazer pocket, something the tour guide noticed.

"You can wait out here," he said, a hand on the door of some third-year class. "I'll be out soon."

"Okay."

He left her then and entered the classroom. Tsubasa pulled her phone out of her pocket and blinked at the caller ID, before answering quickly and leaning back against the wall. She smiled. A few third-years stopped to stare, before shuffling along with flushed cheeks.

"Kenma? What's up?"

" _Bleh. It's Kuro, stupid."_

Ah. Her smile quickly vanished and she huffed. She could have sworn she heard annoyed mumbling come from the background of Kuroo's side of the line, alongside some shocked exclamation that sounded an awful lot like, _"Eh?! Kenma has a girl's number?!"_.

Tsubasa pursed her lips. "Okay well I can't exactly know that when Kenma's face pops up. Why're you using Kenma's phone?"

" _I forgot to get your number. Give it."_

"You couldn't just look on his phone?" Regardless of her annoyance, the girl relayed her digits quickly and sighed. "Lunch break for you too?"

" _Duh. How's school so far?"_

Tsubasa smirked. "It's great so far, _mom_. Or should I call you daddy?" Ah. There was a sudden, violent coughing fit from Kuroo. "Nice classmates, easy classes. My seatmate's giving me a tour right now of the whole school. But he's dropping something off in the third-year hall so I'm waiting on him."

Kuroo cursed beneath his breath before he properly replied. _"R-really now? Bokuto's a third-year, you know. Have you seen him yet?"_

Tsubasa blinked slowly. "No, not yet." _Totally forgot he was a year older than me._ "That's right. Tetsurou and Koutarou are a year older. I completely forgot about that."

" _Yeah? Well remember it. We're leaving this year, you know~"_

"Shut up. What do you want?"

" _Not much. Just tell Bokuto when you see him that Nekoma wants some practice matches, like, asap. He's a captain, you know. And I am too. Just for the record."_

The girl blinked rapidly. "Eh? Koutarou's a captain? Since when-"

The classroom door slammed open suddenly. "A new student?! Where-"

Silence ensued. Kuroo quieted down on his side of the line and blinked, having heard the obnoxious exclamation and easily recognized the voice. Tsubasa stared up with large eyes at some tall, golden-eyed male with black and grey hair, the locks styled upward in a way that was somehow reminiscent of an owl. The two of them then blinked rapidly at each other, just as Akaashi came up behind him and tapped his shoulder.

"Bokuto-san. Please pay attention when I'm letting you borrow my notes. You know I have them structured a certain way."

The third-year said nothing. His hand dropped down from the door and he blinked slowly, before he gaped suddenly and leaned back with bulging eyes. Tsubasa felt her phone slip from her hand.

"Tsu- _Tsubasa_?!"

The cry rang out into the hall. Akaashi stared silently at the third-year before looking down to the girl, who merely stared with pursed lips. Any third-years who had been standing out in the hallways watched the two of them quietly, curiously. Akaashi deadpanned.

 _Don't tell me…_

"Eh?" Tsubasa squinted slightly and tilted her head, leaning forward. "Koutarou? Is that you?"

Ah. The girl stepped forward and stood on her tiptoes, where she reached her hands up to his grey-and-black hair and gathered the swooping locks to press them down briefly. The male's face was suddenly abstractly familiar with the quick change, and with a squeal, Tsubasa beamed at him and retracted her arms. She shook her fists excitedly as her eyes lit up like the moon at night, and she moved to engulf her childhood friend in a hug.

"It _really_ is! Koutarou, it's you!"

She jumped for him. Bokuto swerved out of the way quickly. She blinked. Tsubasa moved again to hug him, only for him to sidestep her. The process repeated until the teen finally bumped up against a desk after nearly stumbling into Akaashi, and the girl cried out in frustration and threw her fists down.

"It's been _seven_ years!" she whined. "Can't I get a hug?! Why're you avoiding me?"

"I-it's… It's Tsubaka! Tsubaka, _Tsubaka_!"

"Heh?! That's all you're gonna say?!"

"T-Tsubaka! _Tsuuuubaka_!"

"Say something else, dammit! _Boketo_!"

And somehow they went back and forth with stupid nicknames. Akaashi felt his eye twitch at the scene before he walked over to where the girl had dropped her phone. When he picked it up, careful not to look at the screen or accidentally touch the 'end call' button, he heard a familiar voice yelling on the other side.

" _Oi, Tsubasa! What's happening? I can hear you two being dumbasses!"_

Akaashi blinked, and very hesitantly he called into the phone, "Kuroo-san?"

Ah. There was a pause, before the opposing captain responded with, _"Eh? Was that… Akaashi?"_

The setter couldn't have deadpanned any harder. "Er… Yes."

" _Whoa, coincidence. So you're Tsubasa's classmate and tour guide? Lucky guy. What's happening right now?"_

"…Hakurei-san is fighting with Bokuto-san. Do they know each other?"

" _Yeah. Childhood friends. Best friends."_

"I… see. And you know her as well?"

" _Yeah. Bokuto and Tsubasa used to live in Kenma and I's neighborhood. We played volleyball together."_

"…I see. Why are the two of them fighting?"

" _Ah. Tsubasa moved away seven years ago without saying anything. He's just salty, he'll be fine."_

"…is that so." Ah. It was hardly a question. "So should I just leave them alone?"

" _Yeah. Well, knowing Bokuto he'll say something he doesn't mean and hurt her feelings. Tsubasa isn't a handful, but she does sulk. Sorry you'll have to deal with that."_ Akaashi could only blink slowly. _"But tell Tsubasa to call me back later. This is awkward."_

"Yes. If you'll excuse me."

" _See ya."_

And they hung up. Just then, it seemed as though Kuroo's prediction was just about to take place, as Bokuto suddenly clenched his eyes shut and stomped a foot forward. The girl, her lips tight and drawn into a thin line, stubbornly stood her ground despite her shaking legs.

"Tsubasa left suddenly without saying anything so Tsubasa is Tsubaka and I _don't wanna see her and she can go away again_!"

…ah. Bokuto turned away then, crossing his arms and turning his nose upwards. Akaashi, and any other third-years in the class during lunch break, simply watched in silence and wondered what the girl would do.

Her shoulders quaked and she sniffed.

Bokuto immediately stiffened upon hearing the small sniffle and he looked over his shoulder, only to gawk and flinch back as the girl's eyes were glossed over and shiny in the light. She glared and spun on her heel, marching out of the classroom and leaving without another word. The third-year, frozen in disbelief, could only reach a hand out futilely as he stuttered.

"N-no- Tsubasa- wait- I-"

"Bokuto-san." Ah. Akaashi stood before the third-year and tapped his math notebook against Bokuto's head lightly. "I don't know what sort of history you have with Hakurei-san, but no matter what, you can't talk to a girl like that."

…ah. Akaashi stepped back and pocketed his hands, his expression relaxed despite his reprimanding words.

"She's a _girl_. You have to be gentle."

And with that, the second-year was making his way out of the classroom and quickly but coolly walking down the third-year hallway. The other three third-years of the volleyball team that often spent lunch with their captain – being the monkey-faced one, the team's Jack, and the one with the undercut – could only gape silently and blink from their makeshift table compromised of desks.

"A-Akaashi, of all people, just told Bokuto a thing or two about delicacy," Konoha Akinori muttered.

"That's gotta be how you know it's bad," Sarukui Yamato then said. "Like, _real_ bad."

"The world is ending," Komi Haruki finished, only to stiffen as he looked over to the volleyball captain, who was sitting on the floor with some dazed expression and the notebook in his hands. "L-let's stop. He'll start practice in his Emo Mode if we keep going."

"Eh…"

"R-right…"

Ah. And the third-years went to work, trying to soothe their captain and ace and get him into a remotely positive mood before lunch ended.

Meanwhile, Tsubasa stood at the doors of her classroom with her hand hesitantly hovering over the edge of the door. She hadn't exactly cried but her eyes and nose were red, and she had even hiccupped a bit. She knew that her classmates were curious about her and had some questions, and it even seemed a few of them had stayed back with the hopes of talking with her. The girl cursed silently as she could see the Totoro-printed cloth of her bento box just barely poke out of her bag, and she sighed.

"Hakurei-san."

The girl nearly screamed. Tsubasa frantically whirled around and instinctively threw her hands up in a defensive position, before she blinked rapidly at cool blue irises. She laughed awkwardly, quickly putting her fists down and stepping back. Akaashi took note of her red nose, before also noticing the slight shake of her shoulders and hands.

"A-ah, um, Akaashi-san," she said in lieu of greeting. "S-sorry. Am I in the way? I am, aren't I? I-I'll just leave."

"Here." Ah. The male handed the girl her phone. "Kuroo-san said to call him later."

"…oh. Okay. Thank you." _He knows Tetsurou?_ "Um… How do you know his name?"

"I'm familiar with him and the Nekoma volleyball team. We often have practice matches."

"Really? You're in the volleyball club?"

"Yes."

"…"

"…"

Ah. The girl turned away quickly and muttered something about excusing herself. Akaashi merely stared at her shaky steps silently then looked through the window of the class's door, noticing first of all the bento she was pining for and secondly how her steps hesitated, and lastly how a few of their classmates were sitting inside. He held back a sigh.

"Wait here."

He slid the door open. Tsubasa blinked and paused in her steps. She pressed herself against the wall and waited patiently and curiously, listening as the few students inside called out to her tour guide.

"Oh, Akaashi! Tour over?"

"Yeah, where's Tsubasa-chan?"

"Library. She said there were a few things from class she didn't understand so she wanted to study a little bit in peace."

"Heh~ so Tsubasa-chan is a hard worker."

"Always a good trait. But guess we'll have to catch her after school."

"Yeah…"

And the male was out quickly. Tsubasa watched as Akaashi gently closed the door and handed her her bento silently, before turning and walking away with his own bento in his hand without another word. She blinked at his back and tilted her head curiously, before wordlessly trotting after him. Akaashi, making no move to acknowledge the girl even though he knew she was tailing him, allowed her to follow him up to the rooftop (which was beyond prohibited but had a view that was worth the trouble), where he walked around the entrance and sat in the shadows. Tsubasa blinked down at him from her spot around the corner, before sitting where she stood.

They sat there separated by that single corner, not speaking or mentioning the previous events, and quietly, _peacefully_ consumed their bento.

* * *

The second day of school arrived in a blink. Tsubasa left her apartment early that morning to see if she could catch her childhood friend, maybe in the gym with morning practice. Which, she _did_ find him there, but he was accompanied by her classmate and tour guide. She blinked and watched as the relatively empty gym was occupied only by Bokuto and Akaashi, the latter who was getting ready to toss for the captain.

Silver irises watched as the ball was pushed into the air, only to be smacked harshly into the net. Akaashi released a breath and lifted his shirt to wipe his face clean, before looking to the ditzy third-year.

"Bokuto-san, please don't call me for morning practice if you're not going to get a single spike in. We shouldn't even be here."

"I… I know, sheesh!"

Ah. Akaashi's eye twitched before he sighed once more. "We should wrap up soon, Bokuto-san. It'll be bad if we get caught."

"F-fine…"

Tsubasa blinked at them in confusion, finding it strange how the gym was fairly empty and how, _apparently_ , they shouldn't have been there in the first place. Regardless, she looked about the gym and upon seeing all of the doors closed, save for the one she stood at, she took her chance and stepped inside.

"Koutarou!" she called.

Ah. The third-year immediately went rigid and, with some sort of panicked expression, looked over his shoulder to the girl. He immediately dropped the volleyball he had just picked up to store away and ran straight for the girl, only to dart right by her and escape the gym. She gawked and gritted her teeth, shaking a frustrated fist in his direction.

"We're going to talk this out eventually, _Boketo_!"

…ah. Tsubasa huffed before she turned to Akaashi, who could only deadpan at her and the volleyball equipment he had to put away. She frowned slightly, before slipping off her sneakers and leaving them at the entrance. She moved silently to pick up the volleyballs in only her high socks.

"Sorry," she said lamely.

The teen stared at her silently, before approaching the net and untying its strings. "Don't worry about it."

Tsubasa trotted around the gym and got all of the stray volleyballs packed away in the basket. She then went to help Akaashi store away the rolled-up net, before further assisting in putting away the poles and mopping up the floor. When they were finished, they nodded at each other silently and went their separate ways, with Akaashi heading to the clubrooms to change while the girl trotted to their class.

Ah. Akaashi heaved another sigh.

 _Why do I get the feel that school suddenly became more stressful?_

* * *

The girl was at it once again during lunch. Bokuto's third-year class was empty as usual save for him and his three teammates, and maybe some other classmates. When Tsubasa entered the class sheepishly and waved while calling his name, the male was bolting out of the classroom once more and leaving before she could say anything else. She had then retreated to the rooftop with her bento, sitting at the corner when she saw Akaashi was there again in the shadows. If she finished her bento early, she'd occupy herself by checking in with her younger brother, making sure to encourage him to get along with his teammates since he had trouble with socializing, before following after Akaashi silently once the bell ringed.

This repeated throughout her first week of school.

It was Saturday night then and the girl was sitting at some work desk with a warm, but weak lamp illuminating the tools and blocks of wood before her. She was articulating her rage and frustration with a string of swears and improper language overall, and it was all being listened to by none other than Kenma. The setter hummed every now and then to prove he was listening while occasionally providing helpful statements – which were neutral at best, but the girl knew he meant well.

"He just keeps running away! What the hell am I supposed to do about his dumbass?!"

" _Who knows?"_

"We haven't even held a proper conversation! If he tries to say anything to me, it's usually just some pathetic stuttering! What's his problem?!"

" _Mm… I don't know. Kuro and I weren't like that when we met you again."_

"I know! I think-" The girl sighed suddenly. "I think I'll actually have to give him some time alone. I feel like every time I try to talk to him, I just make it worse or something."

" _Why?"_

"It's just a feeling. But I also feel like I'll make it worse if I leave him be. He'd always get super mad whenever I ignored him back than, right? But what do I do then?"

" _Hm… Well, what do you have to lose by leaving him alone for one day?"_

"Mm… Not much, I guess." Tsubasa groaned and laid her arms atop the dusty work desk. "I wonder how he ended up captain of a powerhouse. Knowing him, the team probably pulls him instead of the other way around."

" _Yeah. That's right. For the most part."_

"It is?"

" _Yeah. His team is familiar with him acting like this. They call it his Emo Mode. He's gotten in that mode before in official games. It's funny."_

"Cruel."

" _I guess. But sometimes Kou has… leader moments. I guess."_

Tsubasa released another sigh before she sat up slightly, her elbows leaning against the wood while her palms held her cheeks. "I guess I'll just leave him be for now. I should probably stop pestering my classmate too."

" _Classmate or friend?"_

"Classmate. He showed me around the school and he seems to know Koutarou. He's on the volleyball team too."

" _Heh… Ah. Kuro talked to him, right? Briefly?"_

"Yeah. Maybe you know him too? Akaashi?"

" _Ah. I know him, kinda. He's cool – as in calm. It's good that he's your classmate."_

Tsubasa blinked slowly, looking down to her phone. "Eh… If you're complimenting him, then it must be true. You barely say good things about anyone. What position is he?"

" _Setter. He's also vice-captain."_

The girl's eyes widened and she choked on her spit. "Vice-captain? Seriously? He's a second-year though."

" _Yeah. Most of the starters are third-years too. He's smart. And he somehow deals with Kou respectfully."_

"Ah. No wonder."

" _No wonder what?"_

Tsubasa grinned slightly, leaning back with a stretch. "Nothing~ But anyway, he seems popular at school. I feel like I might cause trouble for him if we become friends- and I know for a fact that I'll definitely trouble him after Koutarou and I make up. We've got seven years worth of pranks to catch up on."

" _Hm… Well… As long as you two make up, and you make friends, then everything is fine."_ Tsubasa returned to her initial position and glanced down at her phone. _"Kuro was worrying about you making friends, and I guess I'm worried too. You don't have a bad personality, but people might see your honesty as something mean. It was like that in elementary school."_

Ah. The girl's silvery irises softened. "Mm… Well, if it makes you feel any better, I have better control over the shit I say. I've learned to not… speak my mind so bluntly, after being in America. You don't need to worry." She crossed her arms over the table and settled the side of her head on top, smiling gently. "Thanks though. I'm glad I got you two back."

" _You never lost us."_

…ah. The fond expression on her face was warm and filled with a love that hardly anyone, save for a select few, would ever fully understand even in the future. "Yeah. That's right."

" _It's starting to get late. What are you doing?"_

"Well… I was trying to clean up the workshop and the music store, but the dust was… heavy. It might take me a while. I spent most of today cleaning the backyard, and I did some delivery service too for extra pay."

" _Don't push yourself. I'm sure that's another aspect of you that hasn't changed."_

"Eh~? No way~" Tsubasa smirked suddenly and sat up. "But we keep talking about me! I wanna hear about you! How's volleyball for you? Do anything cool while I was gone? How about a girlfriend – or boyfriend, if you've discovered you don't like girls?"

And the night went on with such talks. The girl was animated in probing her childhood friend with such revealing questions, and the boy was calm in answering them. Similar things were done way back when, when the girl was alone at home and the boy was the first one to fully know of her situation. Although, it was different now considering the girl's circumstances – and that was okay; Kenma figured it was best not to completely relive the past, for it might have created complications for the present and the future. The lovely nostalgia was enough for those moments.

They spoke way past midnight, until the girl had fallen asleep at her desk with the boy on his bedroom floor with a game in his lap.

* * *

It was her second week and the girl… sat in class during lunch. Akaashi, quickly taking notice of how she remained there after the lunch bell rang, blinked slowly. He pulled his bento out of his bag.

"You're not going to see Bokuto-san, Hakurei-san?" he asked her, only a little curious. She seemed startled by the mere fact that he'd asked at all, and she smiled.

"No, not for today or the rest of this week," she answered. "I think Koutarou just needs some time to think, so…"

"I see."

"Yeah."

And he turned to leave after nodding. Something stopped him as he reached the classroom door, however, and when he glanced over his shoulder briefly to see what the girl was doing, his lips pursed when he saw her sitting there in the sunlight, alone in the class. Her bento sat before her, still wrapped in its Totoro cloth, and she was simply staring out the window. She made no move to open her lunch. He stared at her quietly.

"You know," he said, catching her attention, "we never finished that tour."

Well, it wasn't a lie. Tsubasa blinked rapidly, before she beamed, grabbed her bento, and hopped towards him. She eagerly joined his side and stared up at him expectantly with bright, sparkly silver eyes and he could've sworn his heart stopped for the briefest millisecond. He then led her out of the classroom, taking her around the school once more and introducing her to the school nurse and other important faculty. After showing her around the library, which was a huge and separate building by itself with several study rooms, Akaashi concluded the tour in the school's garden.

"Uwah~" she breathed in awe, looking about the blooming flowers and flourishing bushes and swaying trees around them. Sunlight streamed in through the translucent walls and warmed the two teens with a breath filled with life. Akaashi observed the halo of the girl's hair silently. "It's really pretty. Is there a garden here for any specific reason?"

"Gardening club."

She giggled at that. "Ah, of course. They do a good job. Nothing's wilting."

"Do you want to eat lunch here or go up to the rooftop?"

Tsubasa turned to him quickly. Akaashi stood there simply, one hand pocketed and the other holding up his bento as if to remind the girl that it was lunch break. She blinked rapidly, not sure she was understanding.

"What?"

"Lunch. Do you want to eat here or on the rooftop?"

"…here, since… we're here already, I guess."

"Okay. There's a table in the back, so let's sit there."

"Oh- okay."

Ah. And the girl followed him to some circular marble table located near the back of the garden. The garden itself was a small greenhouse positioned near the school's library, but was ultimately a building by itself. Warmly-colored stone walkways mapped out the surrealistic beauty and carefully wound around the sections of bushes and floral arrangements. When the two arrived at some floored area sectioned off by tall rose hedges, Akaashi wordlessly moved first to sit at the marble table, prompting the girl to follow. Tsubasa unwrapped her bento slowly, just as Akaashi had finished uncovering his lunch and was saying thanks.

"Akaashi-san, you're kinda weird, you know?" she said suddenly before saying her own thanks and removing the wooden lid of her bento box. When the male looked up, he noticed how her chopsticks was blue and printed with little Totoro figures. "But it's a good weird."

He blinked at her slowly before moving to pick at his rice. "Can you elaborate on that?"

Ah. She hummed. "Mm… Well, you seem to be popular with the girls, but you don't pay them any mind – but it's not like you're mean to them either. All of the popular guys I've met in my life have been either vain or rude, so it's just a first to see a guy like you."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, and the guys are naturally jealous, but it's not like they completely hate you. You seem to be reliable and responsible, so you get along with everyone. Kenma was right; you're cool."

Akaashi perked up slightly at the name. "Kozume-san?"

"Eh? How- oh, right. You know Tetsurou."

"The three of you and Bokuto-san are childhood friends."

"Yeah. Grew up together." Tsubasa was suddenly sheepish. "Koutarou hasn't… said anything about me, has he?"

"Not before you came here. But ever since you've arrived, he's been crying your name every time he misses a spike during practice. Or misses anything, really. He missed a jump, if you can imagine it."

"A-ah. Really?"

"Yes. And then he cries and sobs and we have to drag him off to the sidelines until he calms down."

Ah. The girl scratched at her cheek, grinning crookedly. "S-sorry. He must be a handful. You've worked hard."

Akaashi stared at her silently as she finally went to pick at her bento. He watched the way her bangs shifted as her face tilted downwards, how the sunlight streaming through the transparent walls and ceiling seemed to give her hair and eyelashes a heavenly glow. But there was a darkness in her usually-bright irises, and for some reason, his own expression softened.

 _She must care for him deeply._

"It's fine," he eventually said. "It's not like you're telling him to act that way."

Tsubasa gazed at him quietly. Her eyes regained their usual bright glint and she grinned, nodding. "You're really weird." He looked to her, just as her grin turned toothy and she laughed. Such a soft, beautiful noise – like a harp. "Thank you! Ne, ne, can I drop the honorific?"

Ah. Akaashi simply nodded. "Hakurei-san is quite strange as well."

"Really? Tell me how!"

"You're kind to the males of our class even though they make obvious advances, and you can still tell them no and reject them. You're not a pushover; you have a voice."

"Eh~ that's such a nice way to put it. People used to just call me a bitch and leave it at that."

"And then there's that; you are quite bright and casual with your curse words."

"D-does it make you uncomfortable? I can control it if it bothers you."

"No, it's fine. I simply thought it was strange for a girl."

She laughed. "Hopefully you never hear me when I'm with Kenma and Tetsurou; we're really vulgar when we're together. It's weird. But what else?"

"Almost everything you have seems to be Totoro merchandise."

At that, the girl pouted in defense. "Why is that weird?! Totoro is amazing! I really really like Totoro!"

"Why do you like Totoro so much?"

Akaashi's eyes widened slightly as the girl gasped sharply in excitement and enthusiastically went on to list all of the reasons – in detail, mind you – why she adored the animated movie so much. Her voice seemed to get higher with every reason and she gradually began to speak faster – but she wasn't hard to understand at all. If anything, she seemed _too_ easy to understand at that point, as if every quick reason she gave was a puzzle piece rightly falling into its place within his mind. Akaashi had leaned an elbow atop the table and rested his chin in his hand at some point, listening intently and observing the way the leaves and roses in the background amplified the angelic glow she was radiating. Somehow, he felt warm and fuzzy and _cozy_ in the girl's presence.

When they were walking back to class, they were no longer in some line-esque formation. They walked side-by-side, chatting casually about beloved movies and books and being completely unaware of the attention they gathered from their fellow classmates and all the other students. Even sitting back down at their desks, they were oblivious to those who gaped and stared – which was either out of wonder (Akaashi never talked much, much less to a girl) or out of jealousy. Class resumed quickly and when it did, the girl was occasionally leaning over to doodle something in her new friend's notebook, which he allowed wordlessly.

When the day ended and practice came along, it seemed as though Bokuto was in a worse mood than the previous week. Akaashi could only deadpan as the third-year tried to put his shorts on like a shirt and vice versa, before proceeding to try and slip his shoes on as kneepads. When the young man questioned why his 'kneepads' weren't fitting properly, the vice-captain had to stand in the corner of the clubroom to compose himself and remind himself that life was beautiful and there were things worth living for.

"H-hey, is it just me or did his condition just get worse?" Konoha prompted with a grimace.

"That girl didn't show up today during lunch," Sarukui murmured, rubbing his chin in confused thought. "D-don't tell me he's upset about that."

"But wasn't he upset about her being there in the first place?" Komi then questioned. He turned to Akaashi, just as the vice-captain was leaving the corner. "What's up with Bokuto, Akaashi? Do you know?"

" _I do not._ " Ah. And the vice-captain was marching towards the door. "Please be ready in five minutes, all of you. Anyone who's late will run ten laps extra as punishment."

…ah. The volleyball players stiffened.

 _Now Akaashi's pissed!_

With rapid nods of their heads and nervously pursed lips, the males threw on their clothes and kneepads and bolted out of the clubroom, leaving behind a confused and sulky captain.

The peaceful days (as peaceful as they could have been with the rambunctious owl captain) suddenly seemed too far to even dream of.

* * *

 **word count: 6,670**


	3. 3

**3 you never stopped being my wings despite your absence**

 _"Here again, Kouta-kun?" an elderly man prompted as some boy with grey hair walked up to the counter of the small grocery store. He set a full basket atop the counter and began unloading his groceries. "Shopping for Tsuba-chan again?"_

 _"Yup." Koutarou, without another word, continued unloading the basket as the old man proceeded with checking out the items and carefully packing them into plastic bags. The groceries went as such: two packs of anpan, four apples and a cluster of bananas, two cartons of lemon milk and two more of strawberry milk, and eight rice-balls. The young boy pulled out his wallet then and sorted through his coins and bills, not at all noticing the way the elderly man gawked at his purchases._

 _"Y-you've been running around quite a bit for Tsuba-chan," the old man commented carefully with the smallest gape. "You've even been doing small favors for money just to buy stuff for Tsuba-chan. Have you finally progressed from friends?"_

 _"Heh? What's that supposed to mean? How'd you notice that anyway?" Koutarou snorted, looking up from his wallet briefly to pout at the man. He blinked then, taking notice of the rack beside the register that contained the day's special treats. "Oh! You made korokke for today?"_

 _"Yes. Someone put in a request for them this week. Half of it is made with normal potatoes, the other half with sweet potatoes."_

 _"Ah, really?! Tsubasa loves sweet korokke!" The boy was quickly compiling four 100 yen coins in his palm and offering it to the old man. "So four sweet ones please!"_

 _Ah. And the boy offered the rest of the money for the other groceries before setting aside the plastic basket and collecting the plastic bags around his elbows. Old Man Akkey offered the packaged korokke when Koutarou looked up to him expectantly._

 _"S-so much! Will Tsuba-chan be able to eat all of that?"_

 _"Yeah." Because she doesn't have any food at home. Koutarou carefully stuffed the korokke into the bag. He then nodded and bowed gratefully to the old man. "Thanks, Akkey-san! I'll be back again tomorrow!"_

 _"A-ah-! O-of course, Kouta-kun. See you then."_

 _And the boy was running off, eager to return to his malnourished best friend. Old Man Akkey wore the slightest frown as he watched the boy scurry off; he thought back to earlier that week when Tsubasa's older brother, who looked as though he'd seen better days, had requested for the old man to make korokke for the week. The geezer could only wonder if the Hakurei siblings were alright._

 _In the shadows of an alley not too far from the store, some hooded teen with dimming brown eyes stood with his arms crossed. He watched as Koutarou trotted past him unknowingly. Another figure in the dark huffed._

 _"Manipulating my younger brother to take care of your little sister? Cruel." The figure snorted then, hazel eyes glinting beneath dark grey tresses. "If you wanna take care of your sister, then just do it. She'd probably be happy to know someone in her family still cares about her."_

 _Ah. Hakurei Tamotsu snorted, rolling his dim eyes and pulling at his hoodie. He strode out of the darkness of the alley, continuing down the street with his own best friend following._

 _"Trust me; I'll only hurt her more."_

* * *

To think he slept in was truly frightening, and it was certainly odd. Akaashi Keiji had busy mornings at home despite the lack of morning practice, and the morning rush was caused by a multitude of chores; there was walking his dog and checking on the bird feeders in his backyard; there was making both breakfast and bento for his younger siblings; there was calling his father to ensure everything was okay at work and to give encouragement; and lastly, there was replacing the flower vase's water for the shrine of his late mother. As the eldest, he had many things to do.

But being exhausted due to reasons other than his slightly-demanding family and sleeping in and being late to practically _everything_ was definitely _not_ one of those things.

"Nii-chan, it's super late," Akaashi Isao commented, stumbling out of his bedroom with a sleepy gait. Midnight locks stuck up in random directions and his pale green eyes shone slightly. "I'm gonna be late, aren't I?"

"Please, _I'm_ the one who's going to be late," Akaashi replied, standing behind his younger sister, the youngest Akaashi, and brushing through her short bluish-black locks while she ate her breakfast. "Isao, can you pack the bento? I already have everything laid out. Don't put too much meat in Miwa's."

"Yes, yes~" The junior high kid quickly pressed a morning kiss to the top of their sister's head before trotting to the kitchen, grabbing an apron on the way there. He put it on loosely and stood at the counter, where a rice cooker sat ready beside other bowls of both fresh and stir-fried vegetables, meat balls, and a plate of tamagoyaki. "It's really weird that you slept in though."

"It's been a stressful week. Miwa, are you finished eating?" When the sleepy girl nodded, Akaashi quickly pecked the crown of her head and gently patted her shoulder. "Alright. Go pack your bag, I'll do your hair afterwards."

"Okay…"

"Isao, did you complete your homework?" He was in the kitchen now, washing up the few dishes from Miwa's breakfast right beside his younger brother.

"Yeah. But I'm not sure if it's all right. There were some weird math problems on there."

"Really? You could have showed me when I got back last night."

"Nii-chan, it was almost _twelve_. I was already knocked out with Miwa." Isao briefly looked to his older brother. "You've been getting home later recently. Everything okay at school?"

Akaashi nearly let a plate slip from his hands. "Bokuto-san has just been giving me more trouble than recently. My class got a new student and – _apparently_ she and Bokuto-san are childhood friends. But they've been fighting and he's been messing up in practice ever since she came along, so I've been trying to… console him."

Isao hummed thoughtfully. "Heh~ sounds stressful~ Bokuto is such an interesting person."

"Use –san or –senpai, Isao."

"Bokuto- _san_ is a very fascinating human being." Isao suddenly grinned cheekily. "But is the transfer student cute? I've heard rumors, you know! A white-haired beauty, they say!"

Akaashi deadpanned at the glass in his hands. _Rumors of her spread to other schools?_ "Well," the male said, "she does have white hair."

"Eh~ nii-chan, give me the details! I can only learn so much through what my classmate says his brother says!" _Ah. So that's how._ "Would you say she's pretty? Eye-catching? Breath-taking? Throat-drying and heart-throbbing?"

Akaashi's lips pursed and his eyes narrowed slightly.

 _All of those and more._

The teen dried his hands as he placed the plate in the drying rack, before lifting a hand to smack the back of Isao's head. "How are those bento?"

"Well, they're good enough," Isao replied with a satisfied grin, propping his hands up on his hips proudly. He fully turned to Akaashi. "Finished. Guess there's no time for breakfast."

Akaashi's eyebrow twitched at that as he put the emptied plates into the sink and dowsed them with water. "I'll buy you something from Powder. Go ahead and get ready."

"Alright. Nii-chan, you ate, right?"

Ah. The teen huffed, his eyes narrowing in scrutiny. "Why would I feed myself before my siblings? Hurry up, we can't be any later than we are."

"Yes~"

Just then, their young sister of only six years came trotting out of her room in regular clothes (her elementary school didn't have any uniforms) with her bag on her back. She held up a white hair-tie with blue plastic hearts on it.

"So white and blue for today?" Akaashi said, wiping his hands dry and going to stand behind the girl once more. He grabbed the hairbrush from the dining table and quickly but gently went through her hair once more, before gathering a collection of them into a half-up ponytail. "Are those boys in your class still troubling you?"

"Mm… No… Sensei watches over us closer now…"

"That's good, right?"

"Yeah…" Miwa turned then and held her arms up, her eyelids still heavy with sleep. "Nii-chan, carry me…"

…ah. Akaashi smiled slightly and easily lifted the girl into the air, giving her a slow twirl before holding her close to his chest. Miwa smiled happily and cuddled against her brother, dazing off once more.

"Oi, don't go back to sleep. We've gotta run this morning, Miwa."

"No piggyback?"

Akaashi deadpanned into space. With the smallest breath, he let the girl down momentarily and turned his back towards her, which she hopped onto excitedly. Just for today since we're in a rush. She wrapped her short arms around his neck as he hooked his elbows around her legs, before turning to the corridor.

"Isao, are you ready?"

And the boy crashed out of his room. "Yes let's go I just remembered I have morning duty!"

…ah. Isao went ahead and stacked the three bento atop one another before darting out of the house, his older brother following after him as he carried their young sister. Akaashi locked the door and followed the boy down the hill, who had begun laughing at some point while crying.

"Nii-chan, I'm gonna get killed today!"

Akaashi deadpanned at that. "Why are you laughing about that?"

"I'm crying too~!"

Their fast pace gradually settled down to a brisk walk as they navigated the streets of their neighborhood, eventually coming upon a flat area, where they could see the top of Fukuroudani Academy, that sloped into a long hill divided by a line of houses. Trotting down the hill on the school's side, they turned and exited an alley and came upon a clean sidewalk, where across from them, a tanned man with neat dull brown locks gathered into a low ponytail stood with his back against some two-story building. The building, owning to a sign that read Powder in neat lettering, seemed divided into three sections: the first and largest was dark and sleek, the middle was warm and cozy, while the last was small and ancient. The man looked up and across the street, his copper irises brightening at them.

"Ah, the Akaashi siblings!" the man exclaimed, waving the three of them over. "Late, aren't you? Just like my niece, I swear…"

Akaashi breathed a slight sigh. "Good morning, Masumi-san."

"Morning…"

"Mornin' Masumi-san!" Isao also greeted. "Powder open yet? Nii-chan and I missed out on breakfast."

"Eh? Is that so? Come in, come in! I couldn't let any of your starve even if my life depended on it."

Akaashi set Miwa down on her feet and held her hand as he followed the taller and older man into his bakery, where he quickly went behind the counter and retrieved whatever treat the Akaashi siblings wanted. Akaashi then took silent notice of the bento waiting atop the counter by the cash register, wrapped in a pink cloth printed with Totoro figures and soot sprites, before he took out his wallet. Masumi stopped him by holding up a hand.

"On the house," the man said, handing both of the male Akaashis a bottle of fresh milk and a small paper bag of sliced brioche. "I can't charge a responsible kid like you so early in the morning."

Akaashi blinked. "Ah- it's fine. I-"

The bell chimed suddenly and the door slammed open. Miwa jumped in surprise and immediately went to cling to Akaashi's leg, while Isao and his older brother merely blinked. Masumi breathed a sigh of relief and set his hands on his hips.

"There you are," he chided, huffing at some white-haired girl, "Tsubasa. You're late. You had me worried."

…ah. Tsubasa heaved a tired and heavy breath as she leaned on her knees. Beside her, her dog Kou stood with his tail wagging excitedly. Akaashi's eyes widened and he could only stare quietly at the long, thick white locks that reached for the floor.

"K-Kou… baby ducks… wouldn't leave 'em alone… Tried to become the mother and, oh _God_ …"

Masumi chuckled. "Well, at least he doesn't hate other animals. Take your bento, hurry. You're way past late."

The girl pouted and looked up. Her bangs shifted and her silver eyes glittered with annoyance. "I know I'm la- Akaashi?"

And the second-year blinked rapidly. "Hakurei-san. Good morning."

"…mornin'."

Masumi smiled at the two of them. "Classmates?"

"Er- yes…"

The man's grin broadened. "That stupid white-haired kid is my niece. She owns this entire building, actually."

The siblings' eyes widened. Tsubasa scowled and glared behind crooked glasses at her uncle, Hakurei Masumi, who simply smiled brightly at his niece.

"I thought we had an agreement not to mention that to anyone!"

"Oh, did we? Oops. But you're late, and so is Keiji-kun, so take your bento and give him a lift on your bike."

Tsubasa quirked an eyebrow. "Who is Keiji?"

Ah. Akaashi meekly raised his hand. "Me. Akaashi Keiji."

"O-oh. Well… let's get going?" Tsubasa looked down to the dog on her right and gave him a quick kiss on the nose. "Be good, Kou. Uncle, I wrote a list of all the supplies I need. Can you get those for me please?"

"Sure. I'll add an hour to your shift tonight in return, alright?"

"Alright. Let's go, Akaashi!" Ah. Tsubasa grabbed her bento from the counter and left a slip of paper in its place, gave a quick wave to her uncle and another kiss to her dog, before darting out of the bakery-café combination. Isao whistled as her long ponytail followed her with a flutter.

"Uwah, she's _really_ pretty," he commented, before smirking and nudging his older brother. "So that's the transfer student, huh? I'd let her stress me out any day."

Akaashi rolled his eyes before flicking the younger teen's forehead. He then bent down and pressed a quick but loving kiss to the top of Miwa's head, then stood and playfully ruffled Isao's hair.

"I'll probably be home a little later than usual," he informed the two. "But text me when you two get home, alright?"

"I know, I know. Have fun at school, nii-chan~" Isao winked, handing his brother his bento.

"Bye bye…"

"See you later. Thank you, Masumi-san."

"No problem~"

And he was out of the bakery quickly. Tsubasa looked to him as she heard the bell chime and awkwardly glanced at her bike. It was black with a brown leather seat, with its wheels tall and the seat adjusted to accommodate for the male. There was a basket attached to the front and a flat in the back for the girl to sit. Akaashi trotted towards it.

"Can I put my bento in the basket?"

"Yeah, sure."

And so he did. He set his bento atop the girl's and neatly packed the paper bag and milk in the remaining space, before he sat and gripped the handles. For some reason, he could feel his heartbeat in his throat and was much more aware of it than usual – especially when the girl sat behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Ready?" he asked her.

"Yeah."

The male pushed off and began pedaling.

* * *

"Komiyan, we're already late so why're you trying so hard to get to class right now?" Konoha called with a drawl as the shorter third-year dragged him along.

"That doesn't mean you should just take your time, dumbass!" Komi raked a frustrated hand through his brown hair. "And the reason we're late is stupid."

"Eh? Why? People can sleep in, you know, even if it's because of video games and horror movies. It happens to the best of us. Even Akaashi has slept in before. He did a few times before in middle school."

Ah. Komi looked over his shoulder at the taller third-year with a scowl. "You can only afford to say that 'cause you're actually smart." He turned back ahead, just as the school's gates entered their vision. "And Akaashi hasn't slept in during high school, now has he? I wouldn't even know that for sure since I went to a different-"

Something white flashed in their periphery. Komi and Konoha stood side-by-side and watched with wide eyes as Akaashi suddenly rode across the street on some bicycle with some white-haired girl sitting on the back, her small hands gripping his blazer. They could only freeze in their tracks and gawk.

"We're so late!" the white-haired girl cried, just as they passed the school's gates. "Why even try at this point?!"

"Hakurei-san, don't say that after I just pedaled all the way here."

"Yes…"

And the third-years were passed without being noticed. Their eyebrows twitched and they briefly shared a look before running for the gates. They caught Akaashi hastily parking the bike while the girl looked around in her bag for her lock, and after securing the thing to a bike post, they were running for the school building. The girl skid to a stop suddenly.

"Wait- bento!"

Ah. After running back to the bike and retrieving their food, they were rushing back to the building. Komi and Konoha could only stand there in shock.

"Tell me you got some of that," Komi muttered.

…ah. Konoha nodded, lowering his phone.

"Yup."

* * *

The class and the teacher gawked at the two students as they stood at the door. Akaashi had slammed it open and Tsubasa was right beside him leaning on her knees and panting, while the volleyball player stood in a better state due to his athleticism. If anything was off about him, his blazer and tie were crooked and his hair even seemed a bit messier than usual.

"Please pardon the intrusion," Akaashi said for the both of them.

Tachibana-sensei blinked with the slightest gape. "Late? Together?" Ah. The man gave a cheeky smirk. "Why is that?"

Akaashi forced the scowl down. "I ran into Hakurei-san on the way here."

"M-my dog gave me some trouble this morning…"

"Heh~? But why is Akaashi-kun late?"

…ah. Akaashi stubbornly held the teacher's gaze. "I slept in."

And the class reeled back in shock. As the teacher gave the two of them sympathetic pats on the back and sent them to their seats, the class could only gape at them in silence as they passed by. When they reached their seats, they both heaved heavy, tired sighs and simultaneously went to pull out their English notebooks. Akaashi took silent notice of how the girl was still panting, albeit lightly and with more control. There was an odd flush on her cheeks that spread down to her neck and somehow, he noticed her fingers and her knees trembling. He silently retrieved a pencil from his bag and turned ahead.

When lunch finally rolled around, the students very slowly stood from their seats as a majority of them very curiously had their eyes glued to Tsubasa and Akaashi. As soon as they shuffled out, however, the both of them leaned back in their chairs and sighed together in perfect sync. Tsubasa gave a whine and slapped her cheeks, dragging her fingertips down to her chin.

"What a horrible morning," she drawled.

Akaashi could only sigh once more. "Yeah."

"How was the brioche?"

"It was good." Ah. The teen had eaten the bread and drank the milk during the first class break.

"That's good."

"Yeah."

"Rooftop or garden?" Tsubasa slouched even more in her chair, her arms dropping to her sides. "Or here?"

"Here."

"Okay."

Ah. And the two of them got out their bento. Akaashi uncovered it from the blue and white checkered cloth it was contained in and discreetly watched the girl from the corner of his eyes; she was already saying thanks and reaching for her rice. Her hair was out of its bun for once and held up in some loose, messy ponytail that had her thick white locks reaching down to the low of her back. He gave thanks soon enough and hummed.

"So Masumi-san is your uncle?" he prompted, genuinely interested. "And you… own Powder?"

Tsubasa stiffened slightly. "Er- yeah… Powder originally belonged to my father but he died when I was young. Now that I'm older and slightly more mature, I've fully inherited the property. I work there after school." Her eyes narrowed just a tad. "Uncle Sumi is evil, telling you that."

Akaashi's eyes widened a slither of a fraction. _So a single parent household?_ "I see. I'm sorry for prying."

"No, not at all! But what about you?" She grinned gently. "I'm assuming you're the oldest?"

"Yes. Isao, my younger brother, is in his last year of junior high and Miwa just started elementary school."

The girl's irises lit up. "Really? That's so cute! I'm sad I didn't get to properly meet them this morning."

For some reason, the teen nearly choked. He then turned to stare at the girl quietly as she kicked her legs and giggled, fawning over his little sister despite having only seen her for a few seconds. The sunlight streaming in bent around her head in some heavenly, surrealistic halo that cast an ethereal glow to her entire appearance. Something fluttered in his stomach and his throat dried, before he leaned an elbow on his desk and rested his chin in his palm.

"Tomorrow morning then." Tsubasa tilted her head. "There won't be morning practice tomorrow, so we can meet in the morning if you'd like."

The girl gave a high-pitched gasp. "Really?! Can we really?!"

He nearly jumped in surprise at her enthusiasm. "Yeah." _Why is she so excited?_

…ah. She was squealing excitedly then, shaking her fists rapidly from side to side and beaming happily. "Yay! I really am a high school student!" _It's just like in all the nice and happy slice-of-life manga!_

Akaashi could only blink. "What?"

The girl looked to him with that blinding expression of hers. He made no move to squint, taking in everything she offered. "I've been jumping around the world ever since the end of elementary school because of my mother's work. But I'm finally settling down here, and it's my first time doing that, you know? I've been moving around for years."

The male's gaze rested on the girl's smiling face as she held her pink cheeks. _I see. She must have been lonely._ He then returned his eyes to his bento, where he picked at the sloppily-placed vegetables. "Bokuto-san has gotten worse."

Tsubasa froze. "Worse?"

"Worse."

"How so?"

"He tried to put his shoes on like kneepads and further questioned why it wasn't working."

"…"

The girl was speechless. Tsubasa's lips parted repeatedly as she tried to form some coherent sentence, only to fail as her thoughts became muddled with confusion. She made a face consisting of furrowed brows and pursed lips. She then turned to Akaashi with a deadpan.

"I am so sorry."

"You haven't done anything wrong."

"Well-"

The door slammed open suddenly. Tsubasa and Akaashi looked up with a start, only for the both of them to gape slightly at the door with twitching eyes. Tsubasa frowned at the third-year standing there, his eyes large and owlish with his eyebrows narrowed down angrily. Bokuto huffed with agitation.

"Koutarou? What's-"

"Why didn't you come by yesterday?!"

"…eh?"

Bokuto, with a growl, marched into the classroom and made his way to the pair of second-years. "You didn't show up during lunch yesterday! Why?!" He stopped right behind the girl, arms crossing.

Tsubasa gawked at him. "You- what? I was giving you time alone 'cause you've been mad at me! Why else?"

He snorted indignantly. Bokuto fitted his hands beneath the girl's arms and lifted her easily onto her feet, prompting her to send him a questioning look. As soon as she turned her face up towards him, however, he took hold of her shoulders and threw his head forward. The girl fell back into her chair with a yelp, immediately moving to hold her forehead while Bokuto simply kept up his intense stare despite his own throbbing forehead. Akaashi blinked rapidly before looking up to the captain quickly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Bokuto-sa-"

"Tsubasa is really stupid!" Ah. And the third-year turned to leave. Tsubasa, with a growl, slammed her fist down onto her desk and stood.

"Is that all you know how to say?!"

" _Hmph_!"

And the door slammed shut. Tsubasa stared with a twitching eye as her jaw slackened with some mixture of confusion, anger, and hurt. Akaashi, with the slightest frown, stood and gently shook the girl's shoulder to get her to snap out of it. She didn't.

"Hakurei-san, your forehead is bruised-"

She latched onto his wrist suddenly. He blinked.

"Ha-"

"Akaashi."

Ah. The male stiffened at her cold tone.

"…yes?"

Tsubasa, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, looked up at him slowly. He froze at the sinister, chilling smile she gave him.

" _I'm gonna fucking murder him._ "

He blinked rapidly at her change in demeanor. "Eh? Hakurei-san, what-"

The girl let him go. Turning quickly to her bag, which hung off a hook on the side of her desk, she rummaged through it and pulled out a box of- bandages. Printed, of course, with soot sprites and Totoro. She shoved a few into her blazer's pocket, with a few more falling from the box and to the ground. With a growl, she whirled around and trotted out of the room, prompting the male to follow after her with a confused squint.

"Hakurei-san, what are you planning?"

" _Nothing much_."

The two of them were soon in the third-year hallway. Tsubasa, locating Bokuto's classroom quickly, threw the door open with enough force to make the doorframe shake. The third-years inside, being Bokuto and his teammates and some girl, alongside a few others, blinked rapidly at the girl. They immediately took notice of the red bruise on her forehead, which oddly seemed to match the one the volleyball captain had. Bokuto – who had been sitting in his chair with his knee jumping up and down violently while he glared into space – stiffened immediately upon seeing the fuming girl. He then huffed and turned away stubbornly. A vein popped along Tsubasa's neck and she stormed inside.

"O-oi oi oi, what's going on?" Komi hissed to the other third-years, only for them to shrug. He then looked to Akaashi, who walked in after the girl with furrowed brows.

"Hakurei-san-"

" _You_ -" The girl raised her hand up suddenly as she reached Bokuto's side. She slapped her palm against his bruised forehead, prompting him to cry out and fall back in his chair due to the strength of her hit. Everyone in the room could only watch silently with large, twitching eyes.

Bokuto and his chair crashed onto the ground. "Ow! What the-"

"- _are the worst_!" Ah. Tsubasa yanked his bag off of the desk's hook, before digging her heel into the third-year's gut – prompting everyone else to wince. "Listen here, _Boketo_! I didn't come back after seven years and choose you over Tetsurou and Kenma just to be yelled at and slapped around! Quit acting like such a drama queen after I went through hell and back just to be with you!"

Tsubasa removed her heel, allowing him to breathe properly, then turned away to leave with a wide-eyed Akaashi. She glared over her shoulder once more, holding the third-year's bag over her shoulder and pointing a challenging finger.

"If you want your shit back, then man up and face me properly today after school on the rooftop!"

And the girl was on her way, muttering insults and other vulgar sentences that were best said quietly. Akaashi briefly looked back to find Bokuto sitting up and rubbing the Totoro bandage on his forehead blankly. His eyes briefly met those of his teammates and of the team's manager – which were all his senpai at the moment since they were out of club – and he gave an awkward bow to excuse both himself and Tsubasa. He then closed the door quietly and let the third-years be.

"So that's the Tsubasa-san you've been crying over," Shirofuku Yukie commented, blinking slowly. "Eh~ she's pretty _and_ assertive. I like her."

Bokuto said nothing, merely feeling the cool plastic of the bandage the girl had slapped him with. His bottom lip quivered and his eyes teared, before he wiped at them furiously and stood, fixing his chair. Around him, his teammates stiffened.

"H-hey, ace!" Sarukui called meekly. "D-don't worry about it, yeah? You can get your stuff back easily, right?"

As Yukie and Sarukui tried to get their captain back into a living, conscious state (which proved itself fruitless as the captain pulled his blazer over his head and cried into arms crossed over his desk), Konoha leaned towards Komi and whispered behind a hand, "You don't think she and Akaashi…"

Komi shrugged. "I dunno, let's ask him later. You still got the blackmail video?"

"Yup."

"Good."

Back with the second-years, Akaashi could only gape silently at the girl as she threw Bokuto's bag down by her desk and seated herself to resume eating her lunch – albeit with a flare of rage. He slowly took his seat and continued with his own bento (tried to, at least) but ultimately ended up staring at the girl from the corner of his eye. He took notice of the scattered bandages on the floor. He bent down to scoop them off the floor, before taking one and shifting in his seat so that he fully faced the girl.

"Hakurei-san."

"Hn… What?"

"Turn towards me. Let me see the bruise."

And the girl pouted, before slowly turning her face towards the male. He stiffened at the close proximity and magnification of her silver irises, but she had her gaze turned away and for some reason – for some _damnable_ reason he almost told her to look at him.

(He'd gotten as far as parting his lips to say it – and he blushed lightly when he stopped himself.)

"Is it bleeding?" she murmured.

"No, but it's bruised." Akaashi went to peeling away the bandage's protective coverings. The rest of the bandages he'd scooped off the floor sat in his blazer pocket. "Move your hair."

Tsubasa blinked mutely before doing as told. She pushed her bangs out of her face and tilted her face downward just a tad, allowing the male to stick the thing onto her bruised forehead. With her face tilted down and her eyes lidded slightly, she missed the faintest traces of pink upon the male's face.

"Thanks," she said quietly, letting her bangs fall back into place and turning back to her desk. Akaashi nodded mutely, turning ahead as well.

 _So she has faces like that as well_ , he thought to himself, picking up his chopsticks. For some reason, the corner of his lips tingled and he felt like smiling – which he naturally held back. He settled for occasionally flicking his gaze on her from the corner of his eyes, and he finally broke with the smallest smile when her pout gradually faded away as she ate.

His eyes glinted a sharper blue than usual in the sunlight.

 _Interesting._

* * *

Akaashi had left the girl on the rooftop after taking her there. He'd given her what was supposed to be an encouraging pat on the shoulder (but it seemed more like pity) before leaving her, and he had expected to run into or at least pass Bokuto while making his way to the gym.

What he didn't expect was to see the third-year changing quickly in the clubroom and rushing out to the gym. Akaashi blinked, stepping back as the captain pushed past him with a huff.

"Bokuto-san-"

" _Don't talk to me_!"

…ah. Akaashi's jaw slackened slightly and his eye twitched, just as the rest of the team's starters showed up. Sarukui and the others who had seen the spectacle at lunch blinked at Bokuto in surprise, before looking to Akaashi quickly.

"Akaashi, wasn't he supposed to-" Konoha stopped himself short as took notice of the vice-captain's dangerous aura. "O-oi! W-what's wrong?"

" _Hurry up and get dressed_ ," was all the male hissed before moving into the clubroom.

The volleyball players flinched back from his commanding tone, so different from the respectful and firm voice he typically used with them. Hearing it, Komi could only gulp and nudge Konoha sheepishly.

"L-let's not ask him."

"Y-yeah…"

Sarukui looked to them. "Ask him what?"

"W-we'll show you later. Let's hurry before he gets even more pissed."

As soon as the team was gathered in the team, they knew their captain was in a worse mood than yesterday, and that their resilient vice-captain was gradually beginning to break down as well. It was evident in the second-year's harsher and more commanding tone, and they could see more veins than usual pop whenever Bokuto was behind in the current activity. Spiking practice had just finished and they were drawing lots to create teams for the onslaught of internal team practice matches to come.

Of course, as fate would have it, Bokuto and Akaashi ended up on the same team.

Ah. The team gulped at the worsening atmosphere.

"Shirofuku-san, did you find anything out?" the assistant coach, Yuuto Asukai, asked the third-year.

Yukie nodded, wondering if she could get away with sneaking popcorn into the gym. "Well, that Tsubasa-san is a second-year and is in Akaashi's class, and she and Bokuto are childhood friends. She took his stuff during lunch and said that if he wants it back, he'll have to see her on the rooftop."

"Then why is he here?"

"Who knows? I guess he's still running away."

Coach Yuuto gave an exhausted sigh. "This is horrible. First the dean takes away the privilege of morning practice and worsens Bokuto-kun's mood by saying he can't visit Akaashi-kun during lunch, and now this? Why is this happening?"

"Hm…" Yukie gave a small shrug. "Well, I think once Bokuto and Tsubasa-san make up, he'll play a lot better."

"Yeah? Why is that?"

The young woman's maroon irises glinted brightly in the gym lights. "Just a feeling."

"Ow!"

Ah. The assistant coach and third-year manager looked to the court on their left and sighed slightly; Bokuto had finally managed to hit the ball, but he did it in a way that it hit his side of the court and bounced _under_ the net, ultimately hitting an unsuspecting Konoha in the chin. The Jack massaged the new bruise while Akaashi glared daggers into the captain's back, before the ref whistled to call the faulty hit.

"But I guess that isn't anytime soon," Yukie muttered.

And the ball was in play once more. Komi made quick in receiving the other side's serve so that Akaashi could once again toss to their ace and captain. He gawked, however, as the vice-captain didn't even have his eyes on the ball.

"Akaashi!"

The teen looked up in alarm. His blue eyes widened and his eyebrow twitched and he pursed his lips, tutting _to_ himself and _at_ himself as it appeared too late to properly toss. Still, he stepped back and prepared to jump, figuring people couldn't get mad if he at least tried. There was suddenly a slamming of doors and a thump behind him, and a familiar voice rang out into the gym.

" _Koutarou_!"

…ah. Akaashi shot a look over his shoulder, only for some river of white to rush past him and briefly caress his cheek, beckoning his eyes to follow. He turned his gaze ahead.

There she was in all of her ethereal beauty, not even a foot away from him and jumping with her hands stretched up high. His eyes widened at the bright, inhuman glow of the girl's silvery irises, which flickered and briefly met with those of his team's captain. Akaashi quickly looked to Bokuto, whose eyes had also grew to notable size and had regained the instinctual glint he had lost in the past week or so.

Everyone stared, watched in both wild shock and curious anxiety as the ball lifted off of the girl's fingers in a quick, feather-light push. Their captain sprung up into the air, his body bending accordingly while his arm whipped back and-

 _Slam!_

And the other side was too frozen in their surprise to stop the spike. The gym went silent.

"So?" the girl prompted, panting lightly and propping her knuckles up against her hips. "Are you done avoiding me?"

Bokuto immediately sniffed and went to wipe furiously at his teary eyes, before he sheepishly shuffled over to the short girl and gently pressed his bruised forehead – which still had the Totoro bandage over it – against Tsubasa's own bruise.

"Y-y-yeah," Bokuto said through his hiccups, eventually dropping his hands as the effort seemed futile. Tsubasa smiled softly despite a few of his tears crashing onto her glasses. "S-s-sorry… I-I'm s-s-sorry, T-Tsubasa…"

And the girl suppressed a tired sigh. She reached up with the sleeves of her blazer and went to wiping away the glittery tears, poking fun and making teasing remarks at her childhood friend. Akaashi took a few awkward steps back before lifting a hand to press against his cheek, having very briefly felt some of the girl's long locks brush against the flushed skin. _Soft and airy, like a cloud._ The team watched silently but ultimately managed relieved sighs, with a few of them smiling at the touching scene.

"Well, there's that," Yukie said with a satisfied grin, turning to the coach. "Now all we need is for the dean to lift the ban on morning practice."

"Y-yeah." Coach Yuuto sighed a little, but managed a light grin as the team's captain began to compose himself. "Well, one thing at a time, I guess."

Akaashi watched quietly from the sidelines as Bokuto finally managed to properly see with his tears gradually stopping. The ace's golden eyes were suddenly alight and he went to tightly embrace the girl, and the act of their arms locking and legs tangling drew a few coos from the watching teammates.

Ah. What was that annoying, prickly feeling that stabbed at the vice-captain's throat? He could only wonder and mutely grip the back of his neck, eyeing the lack of space between their physical bodies. The slightest, briefest downward twitch of the setter's lips prompted him to avert his gaze.

"Everyone!"

Tsubasa squeaked as Bokuto suddenly lifted her into the air and swung her about, showing the white-haired girl off to the team. Akaashi looked as well and felt that unpleasant tingling intensify, and he tutted to himself and turned away once again.

This did not go unnoticed, and cheekily, Komi elbowed Konoha with a smirk.

"This is Tsubasa!" Bokuto introduced excitedly. "She's my childhood friend!"

Ah. Some of the team nodded and some of them waved, while the girl did her best to bow respectfully. She ultimately ended up wriggling out of the captain's grip to slap his back harshly with a frown of disapproval.

"Oi, don't act like that," she chided. "You gave them all a hard time, Akaashi especially. Apologize."

The third-year immediately went around yelling apologies and bowing profusely, allowing the girl to take a few steps back to approach the blonde coach. She bowed apologetically to both him and Yukie, prompting the man to wave a hand and thank her for patching things up. When she stood, she found Bokuto skidding to a stop before Akaashi, who could only deadpan expectantly.

The captain's face lit up.

"Did you see that spike, Akaashi?! Did you? Did you?!" Ah. Bokuto was suddenly hopping around the vice-captain excitedly. "That was a good toss, right?! Tsubasa always tossed to me when we were younger! She's cool, isn't she?! Isn't she?!"

…ah. Akaashi sighed softly and planted his forehead in his palm, before giving in and nodding, glancing to the girl from the corner of his eyes. "Yeah," he confirmed, still holding his head. The team blinked at him. "She's cool."

Tsubasa laughed and playfully poked the vice-captain. "What's with that? You can't sincerely compliment someone with a blank face!"

"Who said it was a sincere compliment?"

"Geh! That's mean!"

"Wah! Tsubasa and Akaashi already know each other?!"

"We're in the same class. Didn't you see during lunch, Bokuto-san?"

"Heh?! I didn't!"

"Hey…" Coach Yuuto said to the manager, "maybe it's just me, but Akaashi-kun gets along well with that girl. What do you think?"

Hearing that, Komi smirked and trotted to the man. "Actually, Konoha and I saw him pedaling to school with the girl riding on the back."

"Really?!"

"We got it on video, so we'll show you later."

Yukie hummed at the bit of information before looking to the trio. She then smoothly walked towards them, approaching the girl with intent.

"Ne, Tsubasa-san~" she called, giving a friendly wave. Tsubasa looked to her. "Wanna join the volleyball team? We could use another manager since I'm a third-year, and you seem to know the sport well."

Bokuto's eyes flashed with even more energy and he shook his childhood friend with vigor. "That's a good idea! Tsubasa you should! I'm captain and ace, you know!"

Tsubasa, after slapping the ace's face with both of her hands and pulling on his cheeks, gave an apologetic smile to the young woman. "I really want to, but I have to work after school."

Yukie blinked slowly. "Heh~ you're even hardworking. Where do you work at?"

"Powder, that bakery-café place along the hill." Tsubasa quickly waved a hand. "But again, I really wanna be on the team, so I'll try to work something out! The manager is my uncle, after all."

"Really? That's cool. It'd be fine if you could only come every other day, or come every day for just a few hours."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do."

Ah. And the team was shedding tears as their responsible manager shook hands with the talk of the town, the both of them introducing themselves politely.

 _Shirofuku!_

"Ah, but speaking of which," Tsubasa said suddenly, frowning as she checked the time on her phone. Yukie took it as her cue to leave and she trotted back to the coach, who in turn clapped his hands to get everyone back into practice. "I'm late. I gotta get going before my uncle kills me."

At that, Bokuto immediately cried out in protest and clung to the girl – which was more or less just the male draping himself over the girl's back and shoulders. "Eh?! You're not gonna stay? I want you to see how good I've gotten!"

Tsubasa frowned and reached a hand up to pet his hair. "I know you've gotten good, Koutarou. I don't need to see a full practice just to understand that. But I have to pay for rent somehow."

Akaashi blinked mutely. _She lives by herself?_

Bokuto stared at the girl blankly, not sure he was understanding. "Pay for it? Yourself? Are you living by yourself? You're paying for rent by yourself? Where's Tamo-nii and mama?"

The girl's heart shuddered at the nicknames and she quickly separated herself from the male, standing with her hands shoved into her blazer pockets. She clenched them tightly while her pink lips smiled smoothly. Akaashi stared at the mask silently.

 _So she can make a face like that as well._

"Koutarou, come by Powder today after practice," the girl said, her grey eyes gradually darkening and contrasting the smile she wore. "Even if it's midnight or something. We have to catch up, okay? I'll be waiting for you no matter how late."

"E-eh? Okay?" Bokuto huffed. "Tsubasa, you're being weird."

"The best people are, so deal with it. But before I leave, Tetsurou wants some practice matches. So get on that."

"With Nekoma? Okay!" Bokuto quickly turned to the coach. "Coach! Nekoma-"

"Yes, yes… Sheesh, it's always Nekoma…"

"Then I'll get going." Tsubasa grinned brightly and gave her childhood friend one last bone-crushing embrace, before stepping back. "Oh right, I threw your shit off to the sidelines."

"E-eh? O-okay…"

"Then I'll see you later, Koutarou!" Tsubasa then turned her smile to Akaashi. "See you in the morning, Akaashi?"

Any players standing nearby looked to the vice-captain with wide eyes, Komi and Konoha included. Bokuto blinked rapidly and glanced between the two of them quickly. Akaashi nodded slightly, ignoring his teammates.

"Yeah."

"Yosh~ see ya. Have fun with practice!"

And the girl was running off. As the door closed quietly behind her, Bokuto slowly turned to Akaashi to stare at him blankly, but intensely. There was a memory buzzing in the back of his head and the noisy static in his ears had them twitching. The vice-captain leaned back slightly in discomfort, maybe even with some sparks of confusion, only for Komi and Konoha to come up behind him and drape their arms around his shoulders.

"Well, well, well~" Komi teased, smirking. "You two are awfully close, aren't you?"

Akaashi blinked slowly. "I suppose."

"What're you two doing in the morning?" Konoha then questioned with the same expression. "She hasn't been a student here for very long, you know."

Ah. The vice-captain simply ducked out of their hold and walked towards the court. "Please don't pester me about outside affairs during practice."

"Ah! He's running, he's running~!"

"One of the school's idols is finally getting involved!"

"Get back into your positions. We're resuming practice. Bokuto-san!"

The third-year snapped away from his daze with a blink. He huffed then with the slightest pout, but ended up grinning excitedly as he ran back to his spot.

"Hey, Akaashi! Toss to me!"

* * *

 _"But doesn't that embarrass you?!" Koutarou questioned, pulling at his fluffy grey hair with a growl. His cheeks were oddly flushed, red and hazy with bashfulness. "P-people keep saying we're… you know… in that like-like stage!"_

 _"So what?" Tsubasa replied simply with a blink. She tilted her head. "It's not like we're really in that stage, and it doesn't mean anything anyway. Like-like just means love. That's it."_

 _"W-what do you mean that's it?! T-that means a lot, doesn't it?"_

 _"Mm… not really. There are a lot of types of love, and I do love you, but I also love papa and nii-san. I love Tetsurou and Kenma too. But the love that they mean – it doesn't exist." Her grey eyes darkened slowly. "That kind of love is a lie."_

 _Koutarou stared at the girl quietly with a frown, his golden eyes glinting with confusion. The two of them were standing in some field with a broken volleyball net, where a bag of snacks sat off to the side on a rusting bench. "B-but… isn't that kind of love like… what married people have? L-like your mama and papa?"_

 _It was a sensitive subject. It was just a few weeks after Tetsurou and Koutarou found out that the girl's father was dying slowly in the hospital. As such, the both of them took extra measures to be with the girl, from hanging out with her during every class break and making sure to walk her home and buy her snacks – which was more or less really annoying. Koutarou made an especially notable effort to be with the girl and make sure she didn't end up starving in her own home, and though the community knew those two were best friends, the additional actions had drawn a different type of attention to them. A different sort of spotlight._

 _An annoying sort of spotlight._

 _"Yeah," Tsubasa murmured. "It's what mama and papa have. That's why mama doesn't visit him in the hospital."_

 _"T-Tsubasa!"_

 _"That's why she just yells at me and nii-san. That's why papa is dying all alone right now."_

 _"T-that's wrong! Mama isn't like that!"_

 _"She is!" The girl slammed the volleyball down into the ground. It bounced high into the air before landing in some bush. Her little fists clenched and dug bloody crescent moons into her palms, her shoulders shaking. "Mama is a liar! She never cared about papa in the first place- she never cared about nii-san and I! She doesn't care!"_

 _Koutarou's frown deepened and he darted for his best friend, grabbing her shoulder and whirling her around. He gripped her arms tightly and shook her._

 _"What are you saying?! She does care, she does! That's why she's working every day- so she can pay for the stuff to make papa better!"_

 _"She's not working!"_

 _Koutarou stilled, before he stuttered in confusion. "W-what do you mean? Of course she's working!"_

 _"She's not!" Tsubasa pushed the boy off of her, staggering back and falling onto her own ass. Her white bangs, long from lack of care, fell over her eyes. "She's not working for him…"_

 _"…what do you mean?"_

 _The girl was silent. Suddenly, so abruptly and out of the blue, liquid crystals were flooding her puffy cheeks. Koutarou's eyes widened as the girl looked up, her eyes a dark, gunmetal grey that was just a shade away from black. Her irises were shiny and wet, and her face was flushed with an agonizing pressure._

 _"Mama was with someone else… She was with some other man!" And her voice began to break with hiccups and sobs. The girl hung her head. "I-I don't- want that l-love… I-if that love is lying to someone special, a-and making a f-family with t-them and- and giving th- that family hope – and then breaking it all apart, I don't want that… I don't want that!"_

 _Koutarou sniffed loudly and wiped at his own eyes, before kneeling before the girl and bumping his forehead up against hers gently. She leaned forward and gripped his shirt tightly, burying her face in his neck and sobbing uncontrollably._

 _"I-it's not real… T- **that love isn't real**!"_

* * *

It was just a little past midnight. Tsubasa and Bokuto sat up against the wall with the girl's futon cushioning the floor beneath them. They sat quietly in the bedroom of her apartment, while her dog curled up at their feet. A small, warm desk lamp on the girl's kotatsu kept the room dimly lit, but it was enough light to keep her fear away.

(That's what the male was thinking, but as it turned out, the girl's fear of the dark had been overcome after years of being alone in a pitch-black household.)

The two of them had finished up their talk in Powder, with the girl informing the male of everything that had happened; first she apologized for leaving so suddenly and for the very manner of her departure, before telling him about the various places she visited. She was in America for a year and had travelled through the different states along the coast, and then she was in South Korea getting a taste of their music and dance culture before she began jumping around Europe. The girl was a lot more experienced and mature than he remembered, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant – especially since she had a box of souvenirs for him and could speak a few more languages (which both amazed and entertained him beyond belief).

But then she told him about how she had actually returned to Japan some two years ago. And she told him how her mother had plans for a new life, with or without her children, and how it was evident that after her brother killed himself, her mother was intent on leaving her behind. She told him how she spent nearly a year in some seaside town before being relocated to Miyagi, where her last name changed for the moment and she gained a younger brother. Now, after spending a year in Miyagi and finding herself, the girl was there in her own apartment trying to pick herself back up.

After five years of lonely travels, the girl was properly abandoned, and two years later, she was properly alone.

Bokuto quietly turned his head just a little to stare at the girl. Feeling his gaze, she turned and met his dim golden irises. Her own eyes softened, but they remained the neutral grey color that he didn't hate but didn't like either. She sighed, scooted closer to him so that the only space between them resulted from the dip of her curves, and laid her head on his shoulder.

He laid his head atop hers in turn and closed his eyes.

Sleep found them quickly in that warm, comfortable darkness.

* * *

 **word count** : 9,170


	4. 4

**author's note : omg I got a review on the last chapter o.o**

 **Ha ha, thank you, that makes me really happy! Idk if there's a way to reply to reviews (I guess not since they're reviews and not really comments? idk) but Free! characters will probably show up in some memories in the chaps to come. I don't really plan out my writing so I'm not entirely sure when they'll actually pop up, but I have some scenes in mind ;)**

 **But when they _do_ pop up, it'll be sad. Maybe. Probably.**

 **...**

 **Thanks again for reading! I was so happy to receive a review \\\\\**

 **-glasses cloth**

* * *

 **4 my heart was telling me about a future with you**

 _The basketballs bounced across the shiny gym floors and the players followed accordingly. A white-haired girl pouted enviously as she leaned her elbows on the floor and watched the mixture of students as they dribbled and passed accordingly. She sat on the steps leading into the gym while a net cascading from the top of the door way – to keep stray balls from escaping the gym – tickled her nose. A boy with bedridden black locks accompanied her left side while another with unruly grey hair took up her right side. The black-haired one hugged a volleyball to his chest._

" _What're we doing here? Didn't you two quit basketball?" he whispered to the other boy, who simply shrugged and looked expectantly to the girl._

" _Ne, Tsubasa-"_

" _Rebound!" she cried suddenly, slamming a fist down and sitting up straighter. The boys leaned back in surprise, just as the net swished and the girl threw her arms up with an excited cheer._

 _As the basketball players paused to let the score update, one of the males turned to another in particular while jerking a thumb towards the girl and her friends._

" _Hakurei, that's your little sister, right?"_

 _Ah. Hakurei Tamotsu looked to the door and stared at the trio quietly, staring particularly hard at the smiling girl, before he planted his sweaty face in his palm. The young boy, barely eleven, nodded slightly, his curly black locks swishing with the action. Light brown eyes glittered and the boy lifted his shirt to wipe away the sweat, before the practice match resumed and the lot of them were running once more. Tsubasa huffed._

" _Tamo-nii is in tip-top shape as usual," Tetsurou commented with a drawl. "Can we go now? Watching a sport we don't even play won't get us anywhere."_

" _Yeah, Tsubasa! Let's play volleyball!"_

 _The girl released another puff of air before she nodded, pushing herself onto her feet._

* * *

"Morning, Akaashi!"

The greeting came synchronized from two people. Akaashi blinked slowly at the girl and the third-year on her side, before Isao skipped ahead and eagerly held a hand out. The lot of them – being Tsubasa, Bokuto, her dog, and the Akaashi siblings – stood out in front of _Powder_ with Masumi snapping pictures and smiling dopily.

"Yahoo~ I'm Akaashi Isao," the teen said, happily shaking Tsubasa's hand. "Isao is just fine!"

Tsubasa laughed and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Akaashi took notice of the fresh bandage on her forehead, this time pink but still printed with Totoro. "I'm Hakurei Tsubasa, but Tsubasa is fine. Sorry you had to see me in such a rush yesterday."

"It's fine, it's fine~ If I can't handle you at your worst, then I don't deserve you at your best!" Isao winked then, grinning cheekily. "Right?"

Tsubasa blinked at that before she laughed once more. "Right." She then looked down to where a shorter, smaller, and younger girl gripped his clothes while shyly looking up with large blue eyes. Tsubasa's grin turned gentle and she kneeled down to the little girl's height. "And who is this lovely lady?"

The little girl flushed slightly and nervously pulled at Isao's blazer. "M-Miwa…"

Tsubasa beamed gently. "What a pretty name. Can I call you that?" The girl nodded shyly. Tsubasa's grin broadened as she beckoned her dog over, petting him lightly. "This is Kou. He looks big and scary but he's very sweet. Do you wanna pet him?"

Miwa peeked around Isao's pants and gazed at the husky, who seemed to be her height. She tentatively reached a small hand out for the dog to sniff, and after brushing his cold nose against her short fingers, he laid down and rolled onto his back. Miwa blinked at his exposed belly before smiling a bit wider and coming out of hiding, kneeling down to pat the dog's chest.

From the sidelines, Masumi pouted. "If it weren't for Kou, Miwa-chan would still be shy."

Tsubasa huffed at that and stood. "Then I am very glad to have Kou with me."

Masumi's hand darted out and he gripped his niece's head, shaking her to and fro while the Akaashi siblings focused their attention on her dog. "You know, you've got a lot of nerve asking me to adjust your work hours for volleyball after not only coming in late-" The man turned and turned to Bokuto with a chilly smile. "-but after dragging _this_ boy into my shop around midnight. Koutarou-kun, I've been here for a while, so why are you just now visiting me?"

Ah. The third-year stiffened and bowed at a strict 90-degree angle. "I'm sorry! I was scared!"

"Of what? You didn't wanna get involved since I'm this girl's uncle?"

The two childhood friends grinned crookedly and averted their gazes.

 _You're honestly just that scary…_

Bokuto nodded anyway. "Y-yeah… I didn't know how to approach you since Tsubaka and I were awkward when she moved…"

"O-oi, don't blame this on me – I work for this guy, he'll make it even harder on me!"

"B-but it _is_ your fault!"

Masumi slapped his palms atop their foreheads. "Oi, don't fight. Straighten up, Koutarou-kun. I forgive you." When the third-year stood, the man frowned slightly. "But anyway, I can't exactly give you the time you need for volleyball club. Latest we could do is start your shift at six and lessen your hours, but you wouldn't be at practice very long and you might have to work properly on the weekends to make up for lost time, and you know I can't give you every other day off. You wouldn't make enough to sustain your rent, regular living expenses, and the effort you need to put into reviving the music store."

Tsubasa sighed softly before turning to Bokuto. "Well, that's that. I can make it to morning practice and Sunday practice, but nothing after school."

Before the third-year could answer (he didn't look like he was going to anyway with the way he puffed his cheeks out) Akaashi spoke and said, "Sunday is our day off. Furthermore, the volleyball club has been banned from morning practice. Bokuto-san and… I caused an incident on the first day of school that upset the dean."

The girl blinked rapidly. "Eh? What did you two do?"

"He made me toss to him during class and when he spiked, he broke a window and just so happened to hit the dean as he was walking by outside."

Tsubasa's eyes widened and she turned to the male quickly, who averted his gaze with pursed lips. "Y-you did? Why would you do that? T-there's a limit to everything, Koutarou!"

"I-I was excited to be back! I couldn't help it!"

Ah. The girl turned her gaze back to Akaashi. "Did he force you to toss or something? How did you end up doing that?"

Akaashi suddenly seemed sheepish. He averted his gaze meekly. "Bokuto-san burst into my classroom during homeroom and threw the ball. I tossed it out of instinct."

…ah. Tsubasa stifled a laugh and pressed a hand against her lips, her cheeks reddening as she held back her giggles. "T-that's… r-really amazing, A-Akaashi."

"Don't laugh."

Isao stood and laid a hand on Tsubasa's shoulder. "Please laugh."

Akaashi slapped the boy's wrist, continuing casually. "However, we're starting a training camp today since tomorrow is the start of Golden Week. We're inviting a few other powerhouses from other prefectures to practice with us. You should come and see what the team's like; think of it like a trial."

Tsubasa brightened at that and pulled on her uncle's shirt. "I can go to that, right?"

"Of course. Powder closes down like any other store during Golden Week. Go crazy."

And the two childhood friends were cheering and high-fiving excitedly. Akaashi gave the slightest smile before continuing on.

"Then you should stop by today so you can tell the coach. I'm sure Shirofuku-san will be glad."

"Okay-"

There was suddenly a small hand gripping the girl's blazer. Tsubasa looked down and found Miwa staring up at her curiously, her eyes not as droopy as they were before. She then, with some blank face, stretched her arms up. Tsubasa nearly screamed in excitement as she bent down to lift the little girl up, holding her securely and giggling as Miwa went to gently tug at her white locks. Isao smacked Akaashi's hand down when he went to stop their sister.

"It's really white…" Miwa murmured, before her face broke into a the softest, yet brightest smile. "Princess…"

Tsubasa returned the beautiful expression and gave a gentle tug to the young girl's hair tie, which was purely white this time with plastic snowflakes. "Miwa has really pretty hair too. Your hair tie is cute!"

"R-really?"

"Yup!"

And their friendship was sealed. Akaashi could only watch silently as Isao joined the two of them in fawning over the girl's white hair, with Bokuto joining as well in bragging about his childhood friend. Akaashi observed the gentle and shy smile his little sister wore, before he shifted his gaze to Tsubasa's face – and he might as well have laid down in his grave then and there. There was a softness all around her that had her glowing angelically in his eyes, which was only heightened by her giggles and smiles. The briefest breath of awe left him and there was a warmth that sat atop his cheeks, while something in his chest tightened as his heart palpitated.

Masumi could only sigh in defeat as the lot of them were distracted and already swept away from their previous topic of conversation, but seeing them in their youthful splendor, he smiled and shrugged. He looked past them and to Akaashi then – only to stop as he immediately noticed the warm and blankly-endearing expression he wore. The man blinked, before turning his eyes away and back to his niece.

"You should get going now," he said, smiling. "Wouldn't want you to be late again, right?"

And the second-year set the little girl down after giving her one last hug. The group waved goodbye to the man and after making their way down the hill, they split up accordingly. Isao and Miwa took down to the left while Tsubasa guided her bike down the right with Akaashi and Bokuto, and casually, the three of them were chatting on their way to school.

Which, of course, was witnessed by a select three of the volleyball club. Konoha put his phone away after the three of them walked past him, Komi, and Sarukui. Komi stared after them with a twitching eye.

"Y-you know," he said quietly, rubbing his chin in thought, "they kinda look like parents."

Sarukui looked to him. "Who? Akaashi and Tsubasa-chan?"

"Yeah. Like, with the hair…"

Konoha made a noise of realization. "Oh! 'Cause Bokuto has black and white hair?"

"It's grey, but yeah." Komi quickly turned to Sarukui. "You've gotta be the sacrifice."

"E-eh? What?"

"Keep Bokuto occupied during lunch while Konoha and I spy on those two! Ask Yuki for help too!"

"W-why do I have to be the sacrifice? I wanna witness it firsthand too!" Sarukui's eyes narrowed and he held out a fist. "Let's rock-paper-scissors for it."

Ah. Komi's irises glinted back with challenge.

"You're on."

* * *

As the day progressed and the classes came and went before finally gifting them with the lunch period, Tsubasa stood and smiled down at Akaashi. Some manila folder was secured beneath her arm.

"I'm gonna abuse some power so I'll probably be gone most of the lunch period, but I'll come find you if I finish early," she told him with a bright grin, to which he could only blink at her confusedly.

"What do you mean?"

Ah. Her grin turned cheeky and she playfully tapped his nose.

"It'd ruin the fun if I told you!"

And then she was trotting out the door. Akaashi stared after the door when it closed before standing himself, taking his bento and preparing to go elsewhere. His nose tingled and he caught the faintest smell of honeyed lemons, and he stopped to think.

 _If she finishes whatever she's doing early, then she'll have trouble finding me if I'm not here._

…ah. Akaashi released the smallest puff of air before he sat back down, figuring lunch in an empty classroom wasn't too bad.

Tsubasa, on the other hand, was trotting through the hallways and making her way to the faculty office. She slid the door open and curiously poked her head inside, before smiling as she settled her eyes on her homeroom teacher, who blinked at her in return.

"Hakurei-san," Tachibana-sensei said, looking up from his convenience store bento. He grinned then. "Can I help you?"

The girl nodded and trotted inside, nodding politely to the rest of the teachers inside before stopping before the handsome man. "I was wondering if there was any way I could get the dean to lift the volleyball club's ban on morning practice."

The man gave another blink, before his grin turned cheeky. _I guess it's only natural that she's taken an interest in the volleyball club since she's friends with Akaashi-kun._ "Mm… I'm not too sure, honestly. The dean is harsh on the club, but it's not like he'll keep the ban forever, especially when the volleyball club is the school's most prized club at the moment. Give him some time and he'll lift it eventually."

"Eh… But what if 'eventually' is a long time?"

"Well, I suppose talking to him wouldn't hurt, right?" Tachibana-sensei winked. "I'll put in a good word; as his grandson, he's bound to listen to me, right? Besides, if an amazing student such as yourself is asking for this to be lifted, then enough must be enough, yes?"

Tsubasa's eyes glittered excitedly and she nodded. "Yeah! Thanks, Tachibana-sensei. But anyway, I was also wondering if I could have a look at my student profile. I want to check the emergency contact numbers to make sure they're correct."

And the man, with his hair black and messy, tilted his head curiously. "Did something happen?"

The girl's smile retained its characteristic beam, hiding beneath it a number of negative emotions that ate away at her internally.

"Not at all."

When everything was done and the contact information was updated and the medical forms were copied for formal documentation, the girl hurried back to the classroom with twenty minutes left for lunch. She blinked in surprise when she found Akaashi sitting there in wait, his bento still wrapped up patiently. Two cans of milk tea sat atop his desk.

"Oh, you stayed here?" the girl asked immediately upon entering, prompting the boy to turn to her. "I hope you weren't waiting for me."

Ah. Akaashi shrugged simply, finally moving to unwrap his bento as the girl sat beside him eagerly and pulled out her own lunch. After putting away her manila folder, which Akaashi caught briefly with a curious glance, she pushed her desk up beside his and the two continued on with lunch like she never left, with the male setting one of the cans of tea on her desk and apologizing if she didn't like milk tea.

By the classroom's door, a particular pair of third-years watched eagerly from the window.

(It was Sarukui and Konoha since Komi had lost two-to-three.)

The girl quickly said thanks alongside Akaashi and removed the wooden lid of her bento, before sighing slightly. Akaashi looked to her then. He took silent notice of the warmth she radiated right by his side.

"Why the sigh?"

The girl shrugged. "I'm still amazed at how you two got morning practice banned. Is that why Koutarou doesn't have lunch with you?"

"Yes. The dean is very harsh on him. He's had a history of causing volleyball accidents."

"Uwah~ good thing he hasn't gotten caught recently." Tsubasa's brows furrowed then and she crossed her arms. "Did the dean say anything about how to lift the ban?"

"Not really. We've already paid off the broken window, but he still hasn't lifted it. Whenever I see him, he reminds me that the ban is still in place."

"Heh~ he sounds super mean." Tsubasa hummed thoughtfully as she picked up a clump of rice. She chewed slowly and stared up in thought, before swallowing quietly. "If morning practice was banned, then how did you guys get into the gym that one morning? We weren't caught either, so how does the dean regulate that?"

"Bokuto-san picked the lock," Akaashi answered, prompting the girl to blink. _Oh yeah. Tetsurou did teach us that._ "And regarding him regulating the ban, he doesn't. Not like that, at least. I can get away with visiting Bokuto-san if it's to let him borrow some notes, but the dean threatened to keep us from competing in the Interhigh if I went beyond that. And he's been in and out of the hospital, so it's easy to get away with some things."

Tsubasa blinked at that. "S-seriously? Was it that serious?"

"The volleyball hit him in the face and fractured his jaw."

"O-oh. Ouch." She hummed. "Well, threatening to take you out of the Interhigh is still a bit much. I guess we can't riot like in America. Maybe a petition? Hm…"

Akaashi looked at her. "You were in America?"

"Yeah. A full year. Kids there would talk back to their teachers and raise anarchy when they didn't like something. It was really different." Tsubasa hummed once more. "It's pretty tame in Germany, and the other European countries too. And I was in Russia for a while but I didn't go to school. Just kinda did some ice skating and whatnot."

Ah. Akaashi gave an interested hum. "I suppose you know more than Japanese."

Tsubasa grinned at that before giving him a thumbs-up. " _(Perfect and fluent English!)_ And then some Russian and the basics of a few others."

Akaashi's eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

"Yup. I was entertaining Koutarou with my language skill last night. I study other languages in my free time too. It's kind of a hobby."

"…that's amazing, Hakurei-san."

Tsubasa blinked. "Thanks." She then tilted her head. "Say, why do you call me by my surname?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… Well, when I first came here and introduced myself, I said to call me Tsubasa. First name. Being called by my surname makes me anxious."

 _Anxious?_ "Oh. Sorry. I wasn't aware." _Why is that?_ Akaashi popped open his can of milk tea and took a quick sip. "Then Tsubasa-san."

…ah. Tsubasa huffed and pouted, leaning her elbows atop the desk and holding her face in her palms. Her chopsticks sat waiting atop her bento. "Why –san? Why not just Tsubasa?"

"The removal of honorifics from first names can be taken many ways, most of which I would like to avoid for the sake of peaceful high school days."

She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Tsubasa."

"–san."

"Tsubasa."

"–san."

" _Tsubasa_!"

"– _san_."

Ah. The girl's cheeks began to redden from being puffed out. The male beside her then moved to take a gulp of his tea, and the girl saw her chance.

" _Keiji_!"

…ah. He choked just as he was about to swallow the sweet liquid down and immediately began coughing and hacking, slamming the can of tea down onto his desk and roughly punching his own chest. Tsubasa burst into a fit of laughter right beside him, patting his back and saying quick apologies.

"I'm sorry, sorry!" she insisted, still giggling and smiling. "I didn't think you'd react like that!"

" _You did that on purpose_ ," Akaashi said quickly, turning to glare at her – but stopping short as he took immediate notice of the lack of distance between them. A fluttering in the chambers of his heart rose up to his throat and tangled up his vocal chords, rendering him both speechless and flustered beyond belief. His eyes widened and that bright blue glint returned to those usually-dark irises, and warmth rose to his cheeks as he averted his gaze. Puzzled, he pressed his elbow against the desk and pushed his burning face into his large hand.

 _Why am I like this?_

Tsubasa, still laughing and patting his back, mentally noted the way he avoided her eyes and seemingly dodged looking at her face entirely. When a minute of her simply giggling went by without a response from the male, she felt the smallest seeds of anxiety plant themselves at the bottom of her stomach. Her smile grew uneasy.

"Y-you're not mad, are you?" she asked, her hand stilling and eventually slowly retracting itself.

The male blinked slowly at that. His back, which tingled pleasantly from the playful pats the girl had given him, was abstractly frigid as the girl dropped her hand to her lap. Slowly, and a bit begrudgingly, he turned and met her eyes. Tsubasa stared at the bright, glittery shine of his navy irises and immediately found relief in them.

"No," he said, the flush on his cheeks making no signs to lessen. "I'm not mad, Tsubasa."

The girl's eyes widened and she beamed, her irises flashing happily.

"You-"

"–san."

"…"

"…"

" _Keiji_."

And he turned away once more with another blush. Tsubasa giggled and leaned back in her seat, swinging her legs happily but making sure not to kick her friend by accident – who was pinching the bridge of his nose and counting to ten. As the girl poked fun at him and settled into calling him by his first name, Konoha and Sarukui gaped behind the classroom doors as they captured the entire scene on camera.

"A-Akaashi's blushing," Konoha murmured, his tone disbelieving and light.

"L-lunch together…"

"First-name basis…"

The two of them were silent. Konoha pulled out his wallet and began counting whatever bills and coins he had.

"Alright, two-hundred yen says two weeks for him to realize."

"Two _weeks_? Akaashi is a _rock_ when it comes to stuff like this. I say a month at least."

"Ha! He's not that dense, Saru. But deal anyway."

" _Anyway_ -" The third-years stopped as Akaashi addressed the girl once more, his face only slightly-red now. The two shuffled away then, figuring they should get going before Bokuto became suspicious. "-you seem to be good with children, Tsubasa-san. I was surprised when Miwa reached out for you."

Tsubasa smiled gently. "She doesn't seem like a very shy kid. She's very curious."

"How can you tell?"

The girl laughed. "Because even though she just met me, she wanted me to hold her just so she could touch my hair and see if it was really white! I almost screamed because it was so cute."

Ah. Akaashi leaned back in his chair and tilted his head slightly, chewing his rice slowly and observing the girl. He swallowed. "Do you have any younger siblings?"

Tsubasa smiled brightly. "Yeah! Well- kinda. I have a little brother named Tobio, but we're not related by blood. His family took me in for a while and I had their name during that time."

He reached for more rice, humming thoughtfully. _Took her in? Adoption? Foster-care?_ The male chewed and swallowed quickly. _Bokuto-san mentioned a 'Tamo-nii' before._ "Then any older siblings?"

…ah. Tsubasa's shining smile dimmed immediately, and she shook her head softly. Akaashi squinted just a bit at the grin, finding it to be odd in every sense of the word. He also found, however, that it was smooth and pulled on easily – almost as if it were something she practiced in the mirror.

"I used to have an older brother," the girl answered, "but he died some time ago."

His chopsticks clattered to the floor. Tsubasa blinked in surprise before she immediately frowned and squirmed in her seat, waving her small, shaky hands and uttering apologies as Akaashi stared at her with wide eyes and slightly-parted lips.

"I'm sorry! I-I guess that's not something I should really share…" she said lamely, her eyes dimming quickly.

Akaashi said nothing. He watched as the invisible glow around her seemed to diminish and leave her looking dull and flat, just like the darkening grey of her eyes. He felt a sudden tightening of his throat and chest, and his heart sped up with its usually-rhythmic beats to something fast and desperate. That bright glint – that unusual shine in his irises intensified and almost seemed to reach out for the girl, trying to capture the ethereal glitter of her own irises as it began to disappear.

As her eyes shut from her awkward, but wide and fake smile, she went on with her apologies and her justifications, saying he had asked so she figured he could handle the answer. There was the briefest, the quickest and lightning-fast downward twitch of his lips, and his eyebrows furrowed shortly. He reached down then, grabbed his chopsticks and wiped them clean with his bento's cloth, and set them down on the desk. Tsubasa looked at him.

"Thank you," he said, his voice firm but gentle. Tsubasa stilled. "For sharing something so personal with me."

And that glow in her eyes returned in a snap. Tsubasa stared at Akaashi blankly, her facial features relaxing slowly. The male stared back simply and held her gaze, watching as her eyes were suddenly bright and shiny and holding the beaten path to a hidden but beautiful garden. She then blinked rapidly and a gate, its bars multiple and thin and creating small spaces in between, closed and blocked off the path – but that was fine. He could still see that road from the spaces in between, and the light still shone through yearningly. Tsubasa nodded then, awkwardly returning to her bento.

"Keiji really is weird," she muttered, seemingly to herself.

Akaashi, still not used to the first-name basis but much more composed than before, simply shrugged and went to wiping at his chopsticks once more.

"You're one to talk, Tsubasa-san."

"H-hey…"

"But," he then said, looking up with his own bright eyes. Tsubasa blinked.

"B-but…?"

If there was a moment for time to stop, it would have been that moment, as the male leaned back in his seat once more and gave the faintest, smallest grin of reassurance.

"It's a good weird."

* * *

It was nighttime now. Practice was over for the day and since the training camp would begin immediately the next morning with the arrival of two other high schools, the volleyball team of Fukuroudani was spending the night in one of the classrooms.

Tsubasa had stopped by right after school before practice got rolling, telling the coach and third-year manager how she could only be a manager in the morning – which the both of them approved of since Akaashi typically handled everything himself when it came to morning practice. So with that, the girl had left after telling Yukie she'd be at the training camp as well, smiling and waving excitedly at Akaashi and Bokuto. The day continued as normal afterwards.

But now, the third-year manager was gone and spending the night at a nearby friend's house and the volleyball players were bouncing around their futons, flickering the lights on and off and making stupid plans to cause trouble – all in good fun, of course. Akaashi blinked slowly as Komi and Konoha suddenly confronted him – who was comfortable by the window as he scrolled through his phone and waited for Bokuto – and bombarded him with a thrush of questions. They were all centered around Tsubasa.

Him _and_ Tsubasa.

Again, the teen blinked. "What?"

Komi wagged his eyebrows suggestively. "You know what!"

"I really don't. Please stop that with your eyebrows, Komi-san; it's making me uncomfortable."

Ah. The third-year huffed. "Fine. But just answer us honestly, alright? We aim to help you as your senpai."

Akaashi shrugged simply. "Alright."

"Do you like Tsubasa-chan?"

Akaashi tilted his head slightly. "Yes." The two third-years reeled back. "We're friends, after all. Of course I like her."

…ah. Of course. Komi released a heavy sigh and let his shoulders sag, before nudging Konoha with a pout.

"Saru's right; he's a rock. You might as well hand over that two-hundred yen right now."

"S-shut up! You're dumb for thinking he's _that_ dense!"

"What?!"

And the two began bickering. Akaashi caught bits and pieces of what appeared to be their playful gamble which – _apparently_ , was in the vice-captain's best interest in terms of personal gain.

(Honestly speaking though, Akaashi didn't get the entire premise of the bet. They only said things about him having some epiphany in x amount of time, whatever the hell that meant.)

((Granted he didn't listen that closely and figured he would let his senpai have whatever this was supposed to be, since he typically bested them both academically and athletically.))

(((All he kept in mind was that Konoha had his bets placed on two weeks, whereas both Komi and Sarukui put their money on a month.)))

Akaashi returned his attention to his phone as it buzzed in his hand. He checked the messages from his younger brother quickly, only to blink and pause as certain pictures came up.

 _ **Isao [5/2 10:21 PM]:**_ _Took these in the morning~ have fun with your training camp. Are you gonna stop by in the morning?_

Ah. Akaashi replied quickly ( _ **[5/2 10:21 PM]:**_ _Yes, I'll be there in the morning._ ) before he returned his attention to the pictures Isao had sent; there was one of the entire group from that morning and another with Bokuto and Tsubasa grinning toothily beside the younger brother, while the last one-

Oh dear.

Akaashi stared down at the photo where Tsubasa stood with Miwa in her arms. The white-haired girl had her nose bumped up against that of his younger sister's, their eyes squinting to a close due to their wide smiles. The background was blurred and although he wanted to focus on how his timid little sister was being so friendly with someone new, his eyes couldn't leave those white locks and nerdy glasses for the life of him.

Even in a picture she looked like a dream. His phone buzzed again with a new message.

 _ **Isao [5/2 10:27 PM]:**_ _Take pictures! Mainly of the managers pls_

 _ **Isao [5/2 10:28 PM]:**_ _Tsubasa-nee-chan looks like a mom kekeke_

 _ **Isao [5/2 10:28 PM]:**_ _Ok I'm gonna sleep now gn_

…ah. Akaashi released a puff of breath at the thought before reciprocating the sentiment and putting his phone away quickly, just as Komi had taken notice of his dreamy state and was just about to poke some more fun out of him.

Akaashi gave a small sigh, the image of the girl staying on his mind longer than need be.

 _Why am I like this?_

From the classroom doors, Bokuto, who had just gone around visiting his other teammates and saying goodnight with Sarukui, blinked at the vice-captain slowly. A buzz made his mind fuzzy with tear-stained memories and he made a face, being something reminiscent of a pout. He then bounced into the classroom with a wide grin.

"Let's prank call Shirofuku, guys!"

"Ooh! Nice! Let's see if we can get her to get us some snacks tomorrow!"

Ah. The memories were still before his mind's eye.

* * *

It was one in the morning. The girl's apartment was completely black save for the simple candle in her room atop her kotatsu table, which she sat at with a small worn and torn book before her. Her long white locks cascaded down her back and curled up off of the floor, while some towel hung around her shoulders loosely. She wore nothing more than her underwear and a black tank-top.

Tsubasa sifted through the book's aging pages with owlish eyes, her bright irises greedily absorbing the information before her. It was about various philosophical elements and well-known ideas, with her thoughts currently centered around the _Allegory of the Cave_. It wasn't anything new to her, to be honest, but all good books demanded to be reread. Even more than that, however, the entire act of reading past midnight was the only medicine she had to momentarily silence the demons in her mind, which were suddenly more active than usual that night. An interested hum sounded from her sealed lips as she absentmindedly stroked her dog's head. Her phone buzzed atop the kotatsu suddenly.

 _ **Tetsurou [5/3 1:04 AM]:**_ _yooo u up or nah_

 _ **Tetsurou [5/3 1:04 AM]:**_ _nvm dont answer that question i already kno. wat u up to girl_

Ah. The white-haired girl pinched the bridge of her nose, reaching for the phone to text back a reply.

 _ **[5/3 1:05 AM]:**_ _Does your grammar and shit suck right now cause you're giving head or what? Who is it? How much money? Pics?_

 _ **Tetsurou [5/3 1:06 AM]:**_ _Okay it's too early in the fuckin morning for that._

And then her phone was buzzing in a series of palpitations, signaling a call. With a somewhat-tired smirk, the girl answered and leaned an elbow atop the kotatsu table of her room. Kou's head shifted in her lap.

" _Okay, first of all, bitch, I'm not gay."_

"You're not? Sure fooled me."

" _Secondly, why aren't you asleep?"_

"Mm… Studying? Yeah, studying. Plato. Philosophy. Super interesting." Tsubasa's eyebrows furrowed at the background noise coming from the other side. It sounded as if he was on the road. "You on a trip or something?"

" _Yeah. Nekoma's on the way to the Miyagi prefecture. We're going around and having some practice matches there."_

"Heh~ so that's why you guys haven't come to Fukuroudani. Shouldn't you be asleep, captain?"

" _I would be but lots of these fuckers snore loud. I don't understand how Kenma's knocked out."_

"Picture please."

" _Sure."_ Ah. Tsubasa grinned faintly, turning the page. _"So how's owl city? You been alright?"_

"Mm… it's been pretty good. I don't really get to hang out with Koutarou that much, but Keiji is good company."

" _Keiji…? Ah, Akaashi, you mean. Wow. First-name basis. That's always a good sign. Um…"_ He paused. _"So morning practice is still banned? And I guess you can't do manager stuff since work and all, right?"_

"Yeah. But when morning practice is legal again, I'm gonna help manage that. And then there's this training camp starting later today that I get to go to and help with… There are two other schools coming over, I think."

" _Two? I bet one is Shiratorizawa since both Bokuto and their ace are in the top five of the whole nation. I know they like to practice with each other every now and then, but what's the second school? Is it also from Miyagi?"_

"Wait what." Tsubasa blinked. "Koutarou's in the top five of the nation?"

" _As an ace, yeah. Barely missed top three. The other guy, Ushiwaka, is in top three."_ She could hear the grin in his voice. _"You didn't know? Impressive, right? But tell me about this second school."_

"Eh? Oh- uh… Well, the coach said one name and then everyone else called it something else… Something like… Sei… hoe? I can't remember."

" _Seijoh, you mean? Whoa, you guys called over the bigshots from Miyagi. Seijoh, or Aoba-Jousai, hasn't ever been to nationals because they've always been beaten by Shiratorizawa, but their captain-setter is number one. He got the Best Setter award in junior high."_

"Uwah… that's cool. Have you met him before?"

" _Yeah. If you think I'm a fuckboy, then wait 'til you meet this guy. Fangirls always make him shit."_ She heard the smirk in his voice. _"Don't be too much of a bitch."_

"No promises."

" _Heh. Well anyway, it's interesting that those two schools are coming over. Nekoma tried to schedule something with Seijoh, but now I understand why they had to decline. But any particular reason for either of them?"_

"Well… Coach Yuuto said that initially they planned to invite the other two schools that had the other top aces; something like a training camp for the aces to kick off the year. But one of them was like 'nah', so the other was like 'ew no', so Coach settled for Seihoe-"

" _Seijoh."_

"-Seijoh to fill in the gap. I'm guessing 'cause of the captain-setter. But what a coincidence, since you're going to Miyagi and all and we're inviting schools from there. Too bad you couldn't be here. You even told me to tell Koutarou that Nekoma wanted practice matches."

" _Meh. I'll make up in summer vacation. Wait 'till the summer camps, would ya. First one in Saitama is gonna be a trip, but the second one at the beach? That'll be the blastiest blast."_

"Eh. Is blastiest even a word?"

" _It is now. Bitch."_

It was silent for a moment. Tsubasa quietly closed the philosophy book and pushed it aside, crossing her arms over the table and leaning her chin on top. She put Kuroo on speaker and watched the candlelight flicker every now and then. Beside her, Kou shifted.

" _Tired?"_

"A little. You?"

" _A little."_ A pause. _"You should go to sleep. I'll tell you about Miyagi later."_

"Ha! What's with that? I was the one who lived there for a while." Tsubasa paused. "Will you take pictures?"

" _Yeah. Of course. Night."_

"Wait." Another pause. Tsubasa blinked slowly, surprised with herself. "I'm sorry."

"… _eh? For what?"_

"I don't know. I just felt like I had to say it." Ah. Tsubasa gave a yawn and cat-like whine as she stretched, before turning her attention to her phone. "Well, good night. Have fun. Don't push yourself, captain."

"… _yeah. You too. Forgiven, by the way."_

…ah. And the call clicked, signaling the end of the sudden midnight talk. Tsubasa stared at her phone quietly before shrugging to herself. She went to set up her futon and after doing so, she blew out the candle and went to bed, her dog right against her side.

The night was quiet.

* * *

Kuroo stared after the contact page even after the call had ended. His expression was somewhat endearing, owning to a quaint pursing of lips and an unusually gentle gaze that softened up his sharp eyes. The contact picture on his phone looked surprised, with large eyes and parted pink lips that said _, "What- contact picture?"_

Ah. The memories.

Kuroo smiled faintly to himself and finally pocketed his phone. He turned to gaze out the window on his right, where miles of fields and trees bleared past the bullet train as they got closer to their destination. On his left, Kenma was curled up in some cat-like ball with his PSP3 gripped securely in his hands. His head was nodded off to the side and his dyed locks were messy from occasional turning. Kuroo snuck a quick picture for the girl as promised. In the background, various teammates filled the air with mumbles and explosive snores. The AC roared and sent him pulling at his jacket.

The captain turned back to the blurred view outside his window. The moon glittered above him gently, almost mocking him with ghostly caresses of its soft white light.

 _She's probably sorry for choosing Bokuto over us._

 _Me._

…ah. Kuroo huffed slightly and smiled to himself once more, only this time, it was somehow melancholic.

 _Apologizing just makes it worse, dumbass._

* * *

 **word count: 6,827**


	5. 5

**5 i can't help how much i watch you when i don't even try to**

 _"This place is good. It's a good place to raise a family."_

 _Everything was white. The male sat there in that hazy white landscape without a clue as to what was happening at the moment. The voice that was speaking was soft, yet somehow gravelly and blessed with a baritone pitch that spoke of ancient wisdom while masked by a childish lilt. It was a familiar voice._

 _Snippets of past conversations were then surrounding him. He stood out in that snowy field of blank nothingness like a sore thumb, easily contrasting the whiteness with his own black hair and dark eyes. But the words and phrases his ears managed to catch were so lovely, so beautiful in their simplicity that his eyes began to glaze over. Some sort of melody began to play then, precise in transitioning from note to note but somehow retaining a feather-like blur that made it impossibly soft – and it was so painfully familiar._

 _All of the memories were there, yet not there at all._

 _He could then hear the echo of a footstep. Suddenly, everything he saw seemed much larger than he was used to – the white ambience somehow seemed to curve over and around him as if he were a small child once again. Abruptly, therapeutic grey irises came into his vision, and he found himself studying the familiar, yet monotonous strands._

 _"I've got an angel in my family."_

 _A collection of fluffy, layered white tresses fell over the grey eyes suddenly._

 _"Do you think you could protect an angel, if you ever met one?"_

 _His lips parted and though he couldn't hear his own voice, he knew what his response was._

 _"Uwah! Confidence! How wonderful. But you know, kid, that angel just might be the one to-"_

 _Bzzt. Bzzt._

Akaashi's eyes groggily shifted open only to find himself staring through the darkness of the room up at the ceiling. The windows on his left had been covered by curtains and allowed little sunlight to enter the otherwise hazily-black room. It was a room filled with snores and sleepy mumblings, most notably from the captain on his right and the teammates by his head. Right by his futon, his phone buzzed with an alarm. He looked at the time.

 _6:00 AM._

The male sat up slowly and shut the alarm off, before running a hand through his messy locks. Somehow, a familiar tune reminiscent of bubbles popping in the summer played in his mind – but he couldn't recognize it for the life of him. He dragged his hand down to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. His mind buzzed with fuzzy static and he found himself annoyed.

 _A memory?_

Ah. Whatever it was, the bits and pieces of it were breaking apart and returning to the depths of his mind, drifting about lackadaisically and waiting for the right moment to resurface. Akaashi sighed to himself quietly before gently pushing his covers aside, shuffling out of his futon and standing to stretch. As he did so, he looked about at his sleeping teammates.

 _Seijoh and Shiratorizawa will be here around eight. Shirofuku-san and Tsubasa-san will come around seven. I'll wake everyone then._

Akaashi took out his phone and sent a quick text to his brother, before he made his way out of the classroom quietly. He went to the classroom next door where the lot of them had stored their bags and sifted through his own bag, pulling out his joggers and track jacket.

Locks of white were ever present on his mind.

* * *

She made a mistake. It was obvious from the bags under her eyes and the aches of her hand. Of course, it wasn't the first time her sudden love for dinosaurs took complete control of her mind and body and told her to watch paleontological documentaries one after the other despite all of them being at least an hour and narrated by someone with a British accent. But after her midnight talk with Kuroo, she was laying in bed, patiently waiting for sleep to arrive, when this absurd urge to appease her dino-loving mind resurfaced – which ultimately led to a marathon of informational dinosaur movies and even a few whittled dinosaur figures that kept her up for a few more hours. Her mind was too loud.

 _What did I apologize for?_

It was a mistake. Kou gave the slightest whine as he watched his owner stumble forward while blindly wiping at the sleepy tears in her eyes and pushing her bike, yawning widely. She still didn't have the school tracksuit so she settled for her own grey sweats and a black shirt, all beneath a navy ICS windbreaker and a black duffel bag across her chest. Her hair was neat though, tied and knotted up in its typical bun.

After the girl made the climb halfway up the hill, she left her dog with her uncle before resuming her original journey to the school on her bike. Tsubasa slowed down as she began to reach the foot of the hill, where the road split up into some T-like route. She slowed to a complete stop at the joint of the sidewalk, preparing to turn right when she froze. Navy irises blinked at her.

"Oh, Keiji!" the girl exclaimed with a grin, somehow feeling energized by the sight of the male. She took silent and quick notice of the few beads of sweat rolling down his face. "Mornin'!"

Akaashi blinked slowly before nodding. He took silent notice of the new bandage on her forehead. "Good morning. Are you heading to the school right now? It's not even six-thirty."

Tsubasa shrugged. "I like being early. What about you? Morning jog?"

"Yes. I was going to check on Isao and Miwa also. Everyone is still asleep, and the other schools are coming around eight, so…" Tsubasa tilted her head slightly. "You don't have to be so early. I can see the bags beneath your eyes."

Tsubasa chuckled sheepishly. "Ah ha… uh… W-well, I'm already awake, so, um…"

Akaashi stared down at her silently. He reached into his pocket and suddenly dropped a thing of keys into her palm. "Would you mind opening the side gates then? I was going to do so after my jog, but I suppose you'd rather have something to do than sit around and wait for seven 'o clock. The side gates are to the left of the school on the outside; they lead to the faculty parking lot. The other schools' buses will park there."

Tsubasa smiled brightly and nodded, securing the keys in her hand. "Okay! That it?"

"Can you unlock the gyms as well, along with the cafeteria? Use the round bronze key for the gates, the square one for the cafeteria, and the silver one for the gyms."

"Okay. I'll see you there then!" Ah. And she was getting ready to push off on her bike.

"Tsubasa-san," he said abruptly, resisting the sudden urge to hold her back with a hand on her small shoulder. She looked back to him expectantly. "Next time," he said, "don't come so early."

Tsubasa blinked after him as he then resumed his morning run, easily making his way up the hill. She heard her uncle call after him excitedly, which she assumed the teen returned with a simple nod. She then grinned to herself, huffing playfully.

 _Don't tell me not to do something when you do that very same thing._

Ah. The girl pushed off of her bicycle then, intent on resuming her way to the school before stopping once more. A bus, one of those large air-conditioned ones meant for highway trips, breezed by her suddenly. The words 'Aoba-Jousai' were painted on the side.

Tsubasa blinked.

 _Eh?_

* * *

They all had bags under their eyes.

"I say," one of them said with slurred syllables, his hair black and short, "if she is vulgar to _him_ , but super sweet to _me_ , then she's A-plus."

"That's it? I'd say," another said, his voice dragging and his hair somehow naturally pink, "if she's not just vulgar to him, but also a bully, then she's A-plus-plus. No mercy."

"H-hey, you guys…"

"Okay, well _I_ say," the third one said, his skin tanned and hair spiky, "if she's vulgar to Shittykawa, physically abusive to Trashykawa, a mental terrorist to Crappykawa, can somehow pull all of that off while still being polite, and is sweet to me, then God is real and life is truly beautiful. You can't get better than that."

"Ah. Agreed."

"Truly no mercy. I'll approve."

" _You guys_!" the fourth one finally cried, slamming a weak and tired fist down on the armrest. "I already apologized! Don't use me as a standard for the future girlfriends you won't have! Iwa-chan especially! Girls don't go for short guys!"

Ah. And his face was being roughly pressed against the bus window.

"What was that, you shitty guy?"

All that came back in response were muffled cries. The volleyball club of Aoba-Jousai had left their secure city of Sendai much earlier than planned. Having been told that their bastard rivals, Shiratorizawa, would be there at the training camp they were invited to out of the blue, the captain had begged the coaches to leave early so the lot of them could get there first. They were scheduled to arrive at eight, but with the needy captain, they had gotten there at six-thirty. With a highway bus and a road trip of four hours, one can guess how early the volleyball players had to wake up to leave.

Two in the morning, with a thirty-minute delay due to various fistfights amongst the third-years.

(And it wasn't as if they weren't allowed to sleep – it was just the mere fact that they were all unfortunately lumped together with their petty captain that had their nerves awake and alive with burning annoyance.)

Matsukawa Issei and Hanamaki Takahiro watched in tired amusement as the vice-captain, Iwaizumi Hajime, continued the routine physical abuse of their captain, Oikawa Tooru, who squirmed and cried for help.

"Careful, the first-years- no, basically everyone else is still asleep," Matsukawa warned with a drawl, slouching in his seat. The bus was special with how the seats were set up, with the right half of the bus owning to regular two-seated rows that faced forward while the left side's seats had two-seated rows facing one another in four-seat sections.

Hanamaki slid back in his seat as well. "We don't really care."

"Rude."

"Oh well."

Ah. Iwaizumi threw Oikawa back into his own chair, before leaning back with a huff. He pinched the bridge of his nose with exhaustion.

"I'm still," he said brokenly, clenching his eyes shut, "trying to comprehend that we left that early. I don't even remember the bus ride."

"But you'll remember the conversation we just had, right?"

"You have to. That's how you'll find your soulmate."

Ah. Oikawa sneered. "Iwa-chan doesn't have a brain or a soul so it- ow!"

He didn't even need to look to hit the captain. "Don't worry, I'll remember. _I'll remember_."

And the vice-captain was soon slouching as well. He briefly glanced to the window on his right to admire the bloodstains left by the previous interactions – only to blink. He sat up a little straighter and looked over his shoulder out the window. The two males across from him blinked slowly, interested but not interested at the same time.

"What?" Hanamaki asked.

Iwaizumi sat back and shook his head. "Nothing. Just thought I saw a ghost."

"…what."

"I don't know myself."

Five minutes later and the bus was slowly rolling through the gates of Fukuroudani Academy, and another five minutes later they were trying to figure out where the hell to park. Iwaizumi groaned and slapped his hands against his face, prompting the others to sigh tiredly but restlessly as well.

"I just want the bus to cease movement," he muttered. As if it were planned, the bus stopped then and there and the four of them could hear their coaches talking – probably about _where to fucking park_. Iwaizumi slapped the male beside him. "Oi, Shittykawa. Get off and find where we're supposed to park."

"W-what?! Why me?!"

"'Cause we wouldn't have this problem if we'd just gotten here on time when everyone was awake! Now get-"

A finger suddenly tapped the outside of their window. The four of them blinked. Their eyes bulged and they were wide awake. A girl was seated atop some bike and blinking up at them innocently with silver doe eyes. The dawn's sunlight was fresh and new and bounced off a head of stunning white, and the girl jerked her thumb behind her. She then turned and took off, exiting the campus and going through the gates. They blinked.

"Er- Coach Mizoguchi!" Iwaizumi called, standing from his seat and looking to the front of the bus, where the younger coach was speaking with the older head coach. "Um- someone just gave us directions. I think they said to back out."

"Eh? Alright, sit down."

And the male did. When the bus slowly and carefully backed out of the school grounds so that they were positioned along the right side of the school's walls, they found the white-haired girl sitting patiently on her bicycle – apparently waiting on them. Her eyes met those of the coach and she grinned brightly, before making some beckoning motion and taking off down the street. She turned the corner and the bus followed.

When they rounded the corner as well and followed the girl along the school's outside wall, they found another gate leading to a large and empty parking lot. They waited patiently as the girl hopped off her bike and unlocked the gates, pushing them open and letting the bus enter.

"Thank you!" the coach yelled out the window as he drove in.

The four males heard a sweet _'No problem!'_ come from outside in response, and curiously, they looked to the window with watchful eyes. They spotted the girl giving some friendly wave in some giant ICS windbreaker, her hair up in a messy bun and her glasses round. They blinked at her as she mounted her bike and entered the parking lot as well.

"She's cute," Matsukawa commented.

"Yeah," Hanamaki agreed. "Short. Perfect armrest height."

Ah. When the bus parked and the coach – who had been driving for four hours straight – leaned back in his seat with a heavy sigh, the mystery girl knocked on the bus doors politely. Coach Mizoguchi opened the doors and smiled tiredly at the girl, sitting up in his seat.

"Thanks for helping us," he said gratefully. "Are you with the volleyball team?"

The girl nodded. "Yes. Honestly speaking though, today will be my first day working with them since I just transferred to this school. But you guys are early, aren't you?"

"A-ah, yeah… Sorry about that. _Someone_ -" The man briefly sent a glare to Oikawa, who stiffened with a squeak. "-wanted to get here early and beat Shiratorizawa."

"I see. Rivals, I'm assuming?"

"Yes, even in the smallest things."

And the girl giggled at that. "Well, everyone is still asleep and Shiratorizawa will be here around eight. I still have to unlock other areas, so you wouldn't mind staying in here would you?"

"Oh, not at all! It's the least we could do for troubling you like this. We're all tired anyway."

Somehow, the two of them shared an equally exhausted sigh. "Right?" She perked up immediately afterwards. "Well, I'm off! Fukuroudani's vice-captain is awake right now, so I'll tell him you're all here when I see him."

"Okay. Thank you!"

"Yup!"

And she was pedaling out of the faculty parking lot, presumably making her way to the front entrance of the school. The four teens watched her until she disappeared from their vision, before Matsukawa pulled out his wallet.

"Alright, two-hundred yen says she's the opposite of our agreed expectations from the previous conversation."

…ah. Hanamaki snorted at that. "Well I want to see those expectations come to life, so I say she _is_ all of those things."

" _All_ of them?"

"I'm an optimist, you dirty pessimist."

"Your loss. What about you, Iwaizumi?"

The vice-captain blinked slowly. "I wanna see those expectations too, but she's probably the opposite. I'm a realist."

"Nice, my side. You, Oikawa?"

And the captain gawked at him. "H-how could I take part in this bet?! It's on whether or not a girl completely hates _me_ – which is unlikely, _but_ -"

"Yosh, another one on my side. You better have six-hundred yen on you, Hiro."

The teen shrugged with some sort of scowl, slouching back in his chair and closing his eyes for much needed rest. The others followed in suit.

"Watch me win."

* * *

"Oi, Shiratorizawa is here!" Oikawa's eyes snapped open from his slumber. "Wake up and go greet them. Fukuroudani's captain and vice-captain are outside as well, so-"

The bus shook as the team's captain bolted from his seat and practically threw himself off the bus, leaving Matsukawa to go around waking everyone else, including Iwaizumi and Hanamaki. As Oikawa made his way around his team's bus and to the newer, larger bus a few spaces away, he pulled on some ragged smirk as he set his eyes on some tall, olive-haired male, who simply blinked and looked past the owl captain and vice-captain he was speaking with. The two owls blinked as well, both confused and just a bit surprised.

" _Ha_!" Oikawa exclaimed, pointing a finger. "W-we beat you here, Ushiwaka-chan!"

The male, Ushijima Wakatoshi, blinked once again. "Was it a contest?"

"E-er… of- of course it was!"

"I see. Congratulations. I'll keep this in mind for next time."

Oikawa slowly sank to his knees in defeat. One of the bus windows opened and Iwaizumi and the other two were popping their heads out, their deadpans somehow victorious.

"That's our win, Shittykawa," the vice-captain called. "You promised ice-pops. Get me orange."

"I want vanilla."

"Green tea please."

"Don't say it in front of other teams! Don't you have any dignity?!"

"Oi, first-years and second-years, you can get some too. Maybe the ice-pops in Tokyo taste different."

Ah. And the captain was reduced to tears as he heard calls for various ice-pop flavors, just as Bokuto perked up and beamed excitedly. He approached the downed captain and nodded his head from side to side energetically, immediately pulling Oikawa to his feet.

"You're Seijoh's captain?! The one with the killer serve? Hey lemme receive that a few times!"

Oikawa blinked rapidly, leaning back as Bokuto gripped his wrists. He took immediate notice of the opposing captain's tall and muscular stature, choosing to ignore the odd hair and the Totoro-themed bandage on his forehead. _H-he's beefy._ "Er- uh- s-sure, I guess. Um… I'm Oikawa." He jumped a bit as Iwaizumi came up behind him, slapping a hand down on his shoulder harshly.

"Iwaizumi, vice-captain. Nice to meet you."

"Yup, same! I'm Bokuto, the ace! Welcome to Tokyo!"

There was a small sigh. Akaashi bowed to Shiratorizawa politely to excuse himself as Yukie went to lead them to the cafeteria while Coach Yuuto greeted the other coaches. Akaashi wore the typical blank deadpan as he greeted Seijoh, not at all fazed by the slightly-taller and older volleyball players.

"Bokuto-san, you're supposed to introduce yourself as the captain," he chided, before nodding at the other two volleyball players. "I'm Akaashi, the vice-captain. Welcome to Fukuroudani."

Oikawa blinked once more. _He seems younger. A second-year? What's with Tokyo and their super second-years? First this vice-captain to a powerhouse, then that one ace in the top three…_

"Nice to meet you. Sorry for coming so early."

"It's fine. I'm sure you and your team are hungry, so let's head to the cafeteria for breakfast. Bokuto-san, can you go ahead and get the group setting up the gyms?"

"Yes! Tsubasa is there too, right?"

"No. She's in the kitchen with the rest of our team. We split up, remember?"

"Oh right! Then we'll be there soon!"

"I-is he really the captain?" Oikawa asked sheepishly as Bokuto ran off, flapping his arms as if they were wings. Akaashi sighed slightly.

"He has his moments."

"Sorry, excuse me, but," Hanamaki suddenly interjected, raising a hand and looking about curiously, "who was the girl that helped us and where is she? The one with the white hair?"

Akaashi blinked at him slowly. _Eh._ "Her name is Hakurei Tsubasa. You were all lucky to have met her in the morning. She's in the kitchen right now helping prepare breakfast." _How are other guys always talking about her when they don't even know her._

Matsukawa nudged the pink-haired male. "Let's make sure to thank her properly, fellow pessimists."

"Optimist here, thank you very much."

"I'm a realist."

"I'm not part of this!"

Akaashi stared at them silently before beckoning them along.

 _Talk of the town._

* * *

In the kitchen, Tsubasa received help in preparing breakfast by Komi and Konoha and another teammate by the name of Washio Tatsuki, who, despite his intimidating appearance, looked surprisingly good in a frilly pink apron. It was an odd combination of people but nonetheless, they got along well with the new girl and were quickly accustomed to using nicknames. There was a click and the doors opened.

"Yukie-senpai, we've used up all the ingredients!" Tsubasa called as she saw the third-year enter the cafeteria with some group of white and maroon males behind her – some of which noticeably stared at the white-haired girl. "Will we have enough for everyone?"

Yukie smiled at the responsible young girl, already feeling fond of her. "I hope- ah!"

Tsubasa blinked rapidly as the young woman was pushed aside abruptly, being replaced by some male with spiky red hair. Flustered, Tsubasa's puzzled gaze switched from her senpai (who was currently receiving help from Komi, who could barely help from his side of the counter), and to the sudden stranger. The male blinked curiously, head tilting.

"Oya?" he chirped. "You're a new face. I don't remember the owls having someone pretty."

Ah. Hearing that, Yukie glared harshly as she pulled herself slowly onto her feet. "Excuse-"

"Yes, excuse you," the redhead interrupted once more, before he leaned further onto the counter and closed in on Tsubasa's face. The girl simply pursed her lips and fiddled with her apron. "What's your name?"

"Um… Tsubasa."

"I see. New manager?"

"Yes. It's my first day."

"Ah, I see, I see! I'm Satori. I look forward to working with you."

"A-ah- me too! Thank you." Ah. And the girl was bowing her head politely, just as another young man walked by and stopped beside Tendou after noticing how Yukie was being held back the owl libero. He deadpanned at his red-haired teammate.

"What did you do."

"Ah, Eita-kun," Tendou said in lieu of greeting, before gesturing to Tsubasa. "This is Tsubasa-chan. She's the owls' new manager. Tsubasa-chan, this is Eita. Eita-kun, say hi. Isn't she pretty?"

…ah. The newcomer with odd hair blinked slowly at the girl, who simply tilted her head. He nodded then, agreeing with the statement without a flush. "Yeah, she's pretty. Hi, nice to meet you."

"A-ah, thank you… Nice to meet you too!"

And somehow the three of them were chatting casually. Yukie tore herself out of Komi's grasp (which prompted him to fall and crash onto the other side of the counter) and stomped over to some tall, broad and imposing male of the opposing team. She latched onto his jacket and gave him a sharp tug, catching his attention and pointing to the odd group.

"Ushijima-san, if you don't get your goons away from my kouhai, then your entire team will miss out on breakfast and _starve_."

The male, after a quick blink at the threat, was quickly striding towards the odd group and plucking away his two teammates, both of which waved goodbye at Tsubasa casually. Tsubasa, confused by the interaction but somehow finding it amusing, turned to Yukie as the young woman finally returned to her side.

"Anyway," the woman drawled, continuing their previous conversation, "if we run out, we'll receive more ingredients later. A truck will stop by sometime today to drop off more ingredients. Being a powerhouse school gives us the privilege of sponsors, you know?"

Tsubasa nodded at that. "I see. So what now?"

"Akaashi said we can go ahead and serve them, but Tsu-chan, I need a personal favor."

Ah. The girl tilted her head curiously. From the kitchen, Konoha and Washio looked up with interest, while Komi took his time in gathering himself off the floor. "What is it?"

"Well it's just us two girls here, right? That's bound to be trouble if we're taking care of all these guys, so I asked a friend to help. I want her to be a manager too, but she's really reluctant to do so. Can you wait outside by the school gates and drag her in here? She won't say no if it's you."

…ah. Tsubasa frowned in confusion. "Eh? Why's that?"

"She has trouble saying no to really cute people. You can do it, I believe in you."

Tsubasa nodded her head slowly. "I… guess so. What does she look like?"

"Tall, freckles, and ponytail. Don't come back until you get her. Now go before you get rushed by the guys!"

"Ah- okay? Uwah!"

And the white-haired girl was pulled over the counter and pushed out the cafeteria doors, drawing a few questioning looks aimed at the third-year manager. Konoha grinned crookedly at Yukie, crossing his arms over the counter while wearing some green frilly apron.

"Do you think that was to save Tsubasa-chan from all these guys?" Konoha asked Komi as he finally stood steadily, who shrugged simply with his own orange apron.

Yukie turned and glared harshly. "Did you not just see what happened literally a minute ago? If she can attract both Tendou and Semi-san, then she can attract anyone." Her maroon eyes narrowed even more at the kitchen team. "Speaking of which, why didn't any of you step in?"

Ah. Komi wildly gestured to the floor he was lying on painfully just a few seconds ago while Konoha laughed nervously. Washio simply hummed, before bowing his head apologetically and promising to act next time – which there would most likely be a next time. Yukie sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Well whatever. What I said about asking a friend to help isn't a lie."

"You called Kaori over, didn't you?" Komi then prompted with a knowing grin. "She won't be able to handle Bokuto, you know~"

And the young woman was deadpanning into space. "We're leaving this year so I'm forcing her to do something."

Komi sweat-dropped. "Poor Kaori. You know, Saru and I haven't seen her much since she started here as a first-year."

"Why do you think? You two are always around Bokuto." Before Konoha could question the conversation, Yukie moved to enter the kitchen through a door on the side, grabbing one of the colored aprons hanging off the doorknob. She looked to the few tables occupied by Shiratorizawa and begrudgingly called out to them. "Ya~ what're you guys doing? Get off your asses. Hurry up and eat."

...ah. While the owls in the kitchen grinned crookedly at her word choice, the swans finally stirred from the tables. A majority of them were quickly standing from their seats, some moving a bit more sluggishly than others, while a few remained seated and asleep until a fellow teammate stirred them. Komi, Konoha, and Washio greeted a select few of the opposing team with familiar grins and nods.

Meanwhile, Tsubasa shuffled down the halls, somehow feeling dejected. She fiddled with the sleeves of her jacket and hummed to herself, wondering if she'd actually been kicked out by her senpai. Just as she was about to round a corner, she froze and looked up from her thoughts. She grinned.

"Keiji, I always seem to almost run into you," she said, her smile bright. "I almost hit you with my bike this morning."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration, Tsubasa-san." Akaashi tilted his head ever so slightly, ignoring the way the group of males behind him stared at the girl intensely. "What are you doing?"

"Yukie-senpai sent me outside to wait for someone. I think she was trying to save me from the guys though."

Ah. The vice-captain nearly smiled at that. _That was a good call_. He then blinked at her slowly and breathed out the smallest puff of air, holding his hand out. "Hand it over."

Tsubasa blinked back and tilted her head, puzzled. "Hand what over?"

"The apron."

…ah. Tsubasa, with another quick blink, slowly looked down at herself. Immediately, her cheeks flushed out of embarrassment as she finally took notice of the blue apron still hugging her figure. She hastily went to untying the frilly thing and when it was fully removed, Akaashi beckoned for it with a large hand. Sighing, she placed it in his palm.

"Sorry."

"It's fine." _Blue's a good color on her._ Folding the thing over his arm, Akaashi addressed her once more. "Is Bokuto-san and the rest in the cafeteria?"

"No. Did you send him to get the other group? 'Cause knowing him, he's probably playing around."

…ah. Akaashi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I should have figured. I suppose I'll go check after I bring these guys to the cafeteria."

Tsubasa blinked at his words before standing on her tiptoes to peek over his shoulder. She offered a courteous smile and nod at the team behind him, before standing back and looking up at the vice-captain.

"It's okay, I'll go check for you. I'm wanting something to do anyway." And the girl moved to trot around the group. "Keiji, tell me about Miwa and Isao later!"

"Don't push yourself," he called back in return, before resuming to lead Seijoh to the cafeteria. _She seems more energetic than usual._

"Ah- wait!"

Tsubasa turned as a hand latched onto the sleeve of her jacket. Her silvery doe eyes met small light irises – which she couldn't tell if they were a pale blue or a light greyish-blue or if they were blue at all and it annoyed her _just a tad_ – and the male blinked rapidly upon eye contact. His face then abruptly exploded with red hues and his pinkish hair somehow seemed to glow, prompting three of his teammates to stare at him intensely. One of them, the tallest and owning to mussed black locks, rapidly nudged and slapped the other two while keeping his gaze locked on the pink-haired boy. Tsubasa smiled, mildly amused. _They must be close._

"Yes?"

Hanamaki could feel his heartbeat in his throat as he gulped heavily. Akaashi deadpanned blankly at the interaction, his eyes somehow glued to the hand that was still gripping the girl's sleeve.

Ah. There it was. That annoying, prickly feeling stabbing at his throat.

"U-um- uh- er…"

A hand fell upon Hanamaki's shoulder. Tsubasa redirected her gaze and followed the arm up to another male, his hair somehow fluffy and his entire presence setting off certain signals in her brain. She tilted her head slightly, somehow finding his face familiar.

"You're the one from this morning, right?" the male said. He flashed some toothy grin at the girl and she nearly gagged. "Thanks for helping us. We would have had an even worse morning if it weren't for you."

Tsubasa nearly slapped herself then and there to get herself to snap out of it. She opted for smiling politely. "No problem. I'm glad to help."

Akaashi stared at the girl's face, noticing how her smile seemed to strain. _Somehow she looks like she wants to punch him in the face._

Oikawa held out a hand after pulling Hanamaki aside. "I'm the captain, Oikawa Tooru. You're-"

"Um, you know," Tsubasa interrupted, her smile somehow even brighter, "you'll miss out on breakfast. We just ran out of ingredients, so breakfast is kind of first-come-first-serve. Cafeteria's down this hall on the left. Can't miss it."

Ah. Hearing that, the rest of the volleyball players practically picked up their captain and stormed down the hallway, throwing themselves into the cafeteria when they found it. Tsubasa heaved a heavy sigh, prompting Akaashi to look to her.

"You were forcing yourself."

"Y-yeah… Somehow I don't like him. He seems like a fuckboy, but at the same time – not? I don't know… I know he pisses me off, that's for sure."

"…I see. Good luck."

"You don't mean that, do you?"

"Well," Akaashi said, eyes glinting and tone somewhat teasing, "I assume if you didn't hold back, then guys like that would stay away easily. Just seems as if it'd be less trouble for you."

Tsubasa sighed again, somehow exhausted. "T-that's right… But these guys are from a different prefecture. What if it's just different there? I don't wanna be rude." She then frowned in confusion, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "But it's even weirder. I feel like I've met him before, or at least seen his face in person. His name is kinda… familiar too."

Akaashi hummed at this, tilting his head slightly. "Well Oikawa-san is a renowned setter in the high school volleyball world. Perhaps you've read about him before?"

"Probably. I hope that's all it is." Ah. The girl laughed at herself, shrugging meekly and moving to head down the hall. "But I'll go ahead and grab Koutarou and the others."

"Tsubasa-san."

And the girl paused, smiling over her shoulder at the male. "Yup?"

Akaashi held her gaze for a few silent moments, before sighing lightly. His eyes somewhat softened and glinted a sharper blue than usual in the morning sunlight.

"Don't push yourself. I mean it."

Tsubasa blinked. The male walked off then, turning curtly and smoothly resuming his walk to the cafeteria. The girl hummed to herself and continued on her own way.

 _What's with him?_

* * *

"Well from what I've seen, she's only polite," Matsukawa said aloud, tapping a pen against a small notebook. Written on the current page was a list– being of the words _vulgar, physically abusive, mental terrorist, polite,_ and _sweet_ – all with empty boxes by them. "But somehow, it seems as if she doesn't like you, captain."

The cafeteria was more or less filled with starving volleyball players. After Tsubasa had gone to retrieve Bokuto and the group that was setting up the gym, the place somehow seemed ten times louder as the captain went around getting to know the team of Seijoh – all while the white-haired girl sat outside in wait for Yukie's friend. Bokuto, on the other hand, was more or less reacquainting himself with Ushijima and the rest of the swans, having been advised by Akaashi to do so because of his responsibility as fellow ace and captain.

(Which, for the record, was more or less just a cover-story; the vice-captain's real intention was to save Seijoh's third-years from the overwhelming social mess Bokuto could be when he was overly excited.)

Ah. Oikawa snorted at Matsukawa's remark. "Why do you say that? She was smiling!"

Iwaizumi huffed, breaking his chopsticks apart. "So? You smile a lot but most of the time it's with ill-intent, you shitty guy. She was probably smiling out of courtesy or something."

"So that confirms the politeness. You agree, Hiro?"

"Y-yeah. I'll soon be six-hundred yen richer."

And Matsukawa grinned at that, cheekily nudging the pink-haired teen as he went to check off _polite_. "Oh yeah? But you could barely talk to her."

"Being able to talk to her wasn't part of the bet."

"Alright, then how about this: vacation homework says you won't be able to hold a 5-minute conversation with her."

Ah. Hanamaki whirled to face his best friend. "V-vacation homework? But we have shit for all our classes!"

Hearing that, Iwaizumi tutted. "Oof, that one's risky. But it's a lot of homework, and I've never seen Hanamaki blush like that… Yosh, I'll roll with you again, Matsukawa."

"W-wha-"

"That's horrible, Iwa-chan! Don't worry, Makki, I'm on your side this time! Five minutes is no problem! I'll coach you on this!"

"H-hold on-"

Matsukawa flipped to a new page in his small notebook and began jotting down the details. "Nice. So Iwaizumi and me versus Hiro and captain. Whoever loses has to do all the homework."

And Hanamaki let his head drop down onto the table with defeat, rivers flowing from his eyes and flooding the table. Oikawa reached over and gave encouraging pats on his shoulder, going on about how easy it would be. From the table next to them, some of Seijoh's first and second-years sweat-dropped at the scene.

"H-how many bets does that make it?" Kindaichi asked.

Beside him, Kunimi used his fingers to count. "Mm… six, I think. It's impressive considering how the school year has just started."

"Y-yeah…"

"But anyway," Oikawa suddenly said, breaking apart his own chopsticks and taking a stab at his rice, "what do you think of these owl guys? We've never played them before, but having a second-year as vice certainly means something, right? What do you guys say?"

"Blessed with cute managers."

"The captain has weird hair."

"That's not what I meant!"

A tray suddenly slammed down in the free space at their table, and the lot of them stiffened at the intruder and his monstrous red hair. The newcomer gave some cheeky smirk.

"That's right, that's right~" Tendou Satori drawled, almost cocky. "You guys haven't fought Fukuroudani before, have you? Well, I guess this _would_ be your first time meeting them since you've never been to nationals. They're fun to play with, you know~"

Oikawa tutted at the remark, but pulled on his shit-eating grin anyway. "Well we obviously _wouldn't_ know that since, _like you said_ , it's our first time here, Guess Monster."

"Hm… Good point. But you _do_ know-" The teen leaned forward suddenly, casting his shadow over the four males as the windows were at his back. "-that you guys are only here as practice dummies, right?"

The cafeteria quieted as some intense staring contest ensued, only to be broken by another member of Shiratorizawa with oddly colored hair. Semi Eita pulled Tendou back by the collar of his shirt, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"Don't go starting fights in other schools," was all he said, before dragging the red-haired male away from the table.

"Yup, yup~"

"Wait."

Ah. Everyone looked to Akaashi as he stood from his seat by the windows with his teammates, making his way around to the rowdy group easily. Bokuto perked up at his actions and jumped up from his spot, moving to stand behind the vice-captain and cross his arms in mock-intimidation.

"Aoba-Jousai wasn't invited to be our 'practice dummies'," Akaashi said firmly while keeping a respectful tone. "Please don't belittle those we choose to practice with. If you're going to do so, then be humble and belittle yourselves."

...ah. Before Tendou could say anything else, Semi slapped a hand over his mouth and nodded.

"Yeah, sorry about that. We'll be more careful."

Akaashi nodded back simply. Bokuto laughed aloud and slapped the male's back harshly. "Hey, hey hey! What's with that, Akaashi? How bold to say that!"

"Bokuto-san, you've been going around socializing and haven't eaten properly. You won't do well in practice."

"T-that's not true! And you were the one who told me to socialize!" And the vice-captain moved to return back to his table. Bokuto then smirked and looked to Seijoh's third-years, who blinked at the intense glint of his golden irises. "Well, if you guys got Akaashi backing you up, then you must be even more amazing than I figured."

"Bokuto-san, that's not saying much considering you usually fail your quizzes."

"A-Akaashi! Don't reveal that to them! I was trying to look cool!"

And the playful banter continued even after the two of them were seated. The cafeteria regained its atmosphere from before and breakfast continued on like nothing had happened. The third-years looked at each other.

"I-is he really a second-year?" Hanamaki muttered, prompting both Matsukawa and Iwaizumi to shrug. Oikawa's eyes glinted harshly with calculation directed toward the owl captain and vice-captain.

"I wonder." He then grinned cheekily and turned to Iwaizumi. "You could learn a few things from him as fellow vice, Iwa-cha-"

Ah. And the captain was sent flying through the roof.

Outside sitting by the gates, Tsubasa jumped in surprise at some explosive bang and she looked to the skies. Her eyes twinkled in wonder and she gaped.

 _Uwah~ a daytime shooting star!_

* * *

"Yosh, here's how this training camp's gonna go!" Coach Yuuto yelled over the large group of volleyball players. "Two teams will play a practice match while the other team practices their own drills. When the match ends, the winning team will play another match while the loser switches with the other team. If the winning team wins a second time, they'll play another match until they lose and the other teams will switch. Got it?"

The gym exploded with affirmative noise.

"Good! So first practice match, Fukuroudani and Shiratorizawa. This gym is large enough and has two courts, so Seijoh, you guys can take up the second court and observe the practice match as you do your drills. Just be aware of any stray balls."

"Yes!"

As the group of volleyball players dispersed, some wrinkly bag of bones snickered behind some shaky fist, something the owl coach took immediate notice of. Coach Yuuto huffed and turned to the demon coach of Shiratorizawa, Coach Tanji Washijou, with an irritated twitch of his eyebrows. From afar, Yukie deadpanned and trotted onto the court, pulling Washio off to the sidelines and telling him to 'get ready'. The male nodded back simply.

"What're you laughing at, demon coach?" Yuuto prompted with a cross of his arms. "I thought you would have retired by now. Or, you know, _died_ from old age."

"Ha! You wish!" The old man's laughter was nothing short of a choppy breeze flitting through ancient ruins. "Like I could when beating your owls is so fun. To think you even invited Seijoh over makes it even more fun. Can't wait to add to our victory count."

Ah. Both Coach Yuuto and Mizoguchi were bristling at the snarky remark. Had it not been for a prepared Yukie and Washio, and a suspecting Matsukawa on Seijoh's side, the demon coach might have finally been six feet underground. Yuuto tutted to himself and thanked his owls for holding him back, before trotting over to Mizoguchi quickly and forming some sort of an alliance. The two blondes were firmly shaking hands at a mutual understanding.

Meanwhile, as the owls and swans got to warming up, Iwaizumi approached Oikawa from Court B. In the background, their own teammates stretched as well.

"Think we're doing drills first because we're just a filler?" Iwaizumi asked curiously.

Oikawa's eyes narrowed. "No. Owl-kun seems to be well-acquainted with Ushiwaka-chan. As aces in the top five, it's only natural that they'd go against each other first."

"That's right. Thank you for understanding."

Ah. The two third-years jumped in surprise as Akaashi spoke up from behind them, a volleyball spinning in his hands. He locked his fingers around it suddenly and held it securely.

Oikawa grinned stiffly. "A-ah. No problem, I guess. Um…" His smile relaxed. "Akaashi-kun, you're a second-year, right? Since you're vice-captain to this powerhouse, you must be quite skilled."

"I suppose," Akaashi replied humbly. Some bright blue glint shone in his eyes then, and he met Oikawa's gaze head-on. "But I'm nowhere near your skill level as a fellow setter. So I intend to learn as much as possible from observing you in person."

Oikawa blinked at that, before he smirked. "Well, you better watch closely then."

Akaashi's eyes hardened, and he nodded, unfazed.

"I will."

"Akaashi, stop socializing! Let's hurry up and warm-up! Throw me some tosses!"

…ah. The second-year bowed politely to excuse himself before trotting to the other court, where Bokuto and his other teammates were waiting. Oikawa felt a vein throb in petty annoyance, and his fellow third-years watched the owls with interest.

"Somehow," Oikawa sneered, "that pisses me off."

Iwaizumi smacked the back of his head. "Everything pisses you off, Trashykawa. Learn some restraint, would you?"

"You don't have the right to say that, always hitting me and- ow!"

Seijoh's coach soon got to yelling orders at them, telling them to hurry up and stop dillydallying. While Seijoh got to warming up in Court B, Court A was getting ready to heat up as the opposing captains and aces met by the net to shake hands. Their expressions were vastly different, with the owl ace owning to one much fiercer than the swan's. Nonetheless, the glint in Ushijima's olive-colored eyes recognized the opposing ace as a rival and, at times, a potential threat.

"Good game."

"Let's have a good one!"

And they shook. Bokuto smirked, gripping Ushijima's hand tightly.

"You know, I'm kinda pissed that Tsubasa isn't here to watch me play right now," he said, his golden eyes lidded and blindingly bright, "but I'm even more pissed knowing that you guys are gonna leave here early to go fight with Itachiyama."

"You aren't in the top three, Bokuto," Ushijima said in response. "Us coming here was merely out of courtesy, since you are both located in Tokyo. And who is Tsubasa?"

Bokuto's eyes narrowed and he released the opposing ace. "Don't change the subject to that, jerk! Oi, let's get ready!"

Ushijima stared after the captain, somehow confused. Regardless, he turned away to his own side of the court, where his teammates were waiting on him patiently. Off to the side, Coach Yuuto was giving the swans' demon coach another shot at friendly conversation – which ultimately led to Yukie and Washio holding their coach back after another biting remark from the opposing coach. In court B, Iwaizumi snorted and huffed.

"So they're leaving early to fight with the other ace in the top three?" he muttered, his eyes narrowing. "That's insulting to the both of us."

"Never mind that," Oikawa said, bouncing a volleyball casually. "Let's hurry up and start our own practice. As much as I wanna stay and watch, we're not here for a vacation. We're going for a jog to warm up. It shouldn't be hard to find an easy route around the neighborhood."

"Alright. Yosh, everyone pair up with someone. Hanamaki, you're with me. We're leading this time."

"Got it."

Seijoh's players gathered at the gym's doors after telling the coaches their plans, before breaking out into a lax jog with Iwaizumi and Hanamaki leading. Oikawa stayed back and pushed his teammates out the door alongside Matsukawa, while discreetly watching court A as Shiratorizawa prepared for the first serve. He noted the serious atmosphere with a tut.

"Yosh, let's go, captain."

Oikawa's eyes narrowed and he nodded.

"Yeah."

* * *

She was a bit tall for a girl – even as she crouched and kneeled in what was supposed to be a sneaky manner. The girl's sandy-brown locks were drawn up in a high ponytail and freckles kissed her cheeks erratically, while navy irises surveyed the area cautiously. She was clad in Fukuroudani's light blue tracksuit and nervously gripped the strap of her duffel bag, which hung across her chest as she hid behind the school's outer wall. Her eyes were latched onto some figure of white sitting by the school's gates.

 _That person's been there for ages! When are they gonna leave? I need to get into school without being seen…_

Ah. The girl sighed to herself, throwing her forehead against the wall in frustration.

 _Yuki took my bus pass and said she would hold onto it while she was at the training camp, so of course she's using it as bait to get me here! But I really need it… Ah jeez when is that person gonna leave?!_

…ah. Suzumeda Kaori pulled at her bangs and banged her head against the stone repeatedly, before crouching down low and holding her face in her hands.

 _If a lot of people see me, then_ he _might hear and I won't be able to leave…_

Kaori stilled suddenly. She pressed her ear up against the wall as she heard what might have been a thundering group of running athletes. She peeked over the wall curiously and squeaked in surprise, finding her suspicions to be correct. Judging by how short the shorts were, she figured they were volleyball players.

 _Just my luck…_

Now, seated on the ground against the school's front gates, Tsubasa heaved a bored sigh as she cradled her face in her small hands. Her ear twitched as she heard sneakers against the concrete, and curiously, she turned to look around the gate. She squeaked and jerked back as someone suddenly jogged past her.

Iwaizumi blinked in surprise and looked down at his left, his eyes meeting those of the white-haired manager. _She squeaked._ He blinked rapidly while Hanamaki flushed profusely, bringing the team to a momentary halt.

"H-hi," Tsubasa wheezed out, pressing a hand against her palpitating heart.

"Er- hi. Um. Sorry about that." _I almost kneed her in the face._ Iwaizumi pursed his lips before meeting her gaze once more awkwardly. "Say, do you know any routes we can take for a quick jog?"

Tsubasa blinked. She then stood and pointed a finger down the street. "If you go down this street and take a left at the first stop sign, there'll be a hill you can run up, but it's not very steep. A café called Powder serves as a halfway-marker, so once you pass that place, you'll eventually reach the top of the hill where it levels out. You can circle back from there then since the school will be easy to see from the top."

"I see. Thanks. Yosh, let's go! Make sure you don't stick to each other! Keep five meters of space between each pair!"

"Yes!"

Ah. And the group of volleyball players were running off without another word, but a few of them more or less spared the white-haired girl a few dreamy stares. As Iwaizumi led the group forth, he nudged Hanamaki, who was slapping his red cheeks to get the haze to leave.

"Think you could handle that much?"

"I-I couldn't even look at her."

"Then good luck with the homework."

"O-oi!"

Meanwhile, Kunimi and Kindaichi kept their distance from the pair in front of them, where the former hummed thoughtfully with those lazy eyes of his. He didn't pay the Fukuroudani manager much attention, but the white hair was admittedly eye-catching.

And somehow… familiar.

"Hey, Kindaichi," the young teen then prompted, spotting the stop sign the girl mentioned. "Doesn't she seem kind of familiar?"

The turnip-headed male turned to his friend, blinking. "Not really? I think I'd remember white hair if I ever saw it before."

Ah. Kunimi hummed once more, holding back the urge to frown in confusion. _That's true, but…_

 _I feel like I_ have _seen it before._

Tsubasa watched from the gates as the group, obviously divided into several pairs with gaps of space in between each, took off at a casual pace down the street as she suggested. Somehow, the girl felt awkward just standing there with her back against the stone. It didn't even seem as if she was preoccupied with anything – and even _she_ was beginning to wonder if she was actually doing anything. Tsubasa sighed then in defeat, turning to pass through the school gates while hoping Yukie wouldn't be disappointed in her coming back empty-handed.

 _It should be fine-_

Her thoughts were interrupted as something plowed into her and she was practically sent flying.

"Uwah!"

"Whoa- oh!" The girl suddenly found herself just a few inches from hitting the back of her head against the sidewalk, one arm wrapped around her waist while a hand cradled her hair-bun against her head. She blinked rapidly at large brown irises. "Gotcha!"

Tsubasa latched onto Oikawa's shirt as he pulled her back onto her feet, easily doing so considering how smol and light she was. When the girl was upright, she heaved a tired sigh and bowed apologetically to the captain, who waved his hands quickly and grinned.

"What're you doing? I'm the one who ran into you, so shouldn't I apologize?"

Ah. Tsubasa stood up straight and frowned slightly, before smiling awkwardly and chuckling at herself. From beside the captain, Matsukawa jogged in place and watched the interaction silently.

"Y-yeah, I guess. Sorry."

"Oh, another apology! You shouldn't apologize so much, mana-chan. You're too cute for that. Anyway, sorry about that just now. Looked like you really went flying."

…ah. _'Mana-chan?'_ Tsubasa pulled on some smooth smile and laughed at that, awkwardly tucking a stray strand of lock behind her ear. Oikawa grinned at the action, his eyes glinting for just a moment, before he took a step closer to the girl casually. _Makki should be able to do this much. I really don't wanna do the homework._

"What are you up to?" he prompted, not genuinely curious. Tsubasa stiffened uncomfortably beneath her large jacket, but controlled herself by tugging at her sleeves.

"I'm waiting for someone," she answered. "A friend of my manager-senpai, I think."

From somewhere in a nearby alley, a thump could be heard as a girl tripped on air.

 _That person's been waiting on me?! Damn you, Yuki!_

"Is that so? How diligent. Just so you know, the first practice match has started between Shiratori and Fukuroudani. Be careful of other runners, mana-chan." Oikawa turned to his running partner and nodded, taking off past the girl easily.

Tsubasa sighed slightly but called a strained thank you after the captain anyway. As soon as the pair was out of earshot, however, the girl groaned and slammed her forehead into the school's stone boundary. Her eye twitched and a vein throbbed along her neck, and she frowned severely to herself.

 _He really pisses me off!_

Ah. Tsubasa released an annoyed whine and she pulled at her cheeks, trying to release her facial muscles of the tension and strain of keeping a forced smile on for so long. _Be polite, be polite. You're finally back in Tokyo, you can't be rude. Just don't. You got this. Yeah._ With a sudden deep breath and a heavy sigh, the girl stood up straight with a new expression, one of determination and perseverance, and moved to turn. She froze.

"Ah!" the girl cried suddenly, her eyes meeting hesitant navy irises. Tsubasa bounced forward excitedly, completely forgetting the previous affair as she beamed up at the tall girl, whose cheeks flushed slightly. "You're Yukie-senpai's friend, right? I've been waiting for you!"

The tall girl pursed her lips and nodded shakily. "U-um… I-I'm Suzumeda Kaori. N-nice to meet you."

Tsubasa's irises seemed magnified as her smile brightened happily, and she excitedly shook hands with the new girl. "Hi, hi! I'm Hakurei Tsubasa, but Tsubasa is just fine! Can I call you Kaori? Are you gonna be a manager for the volleyball team too? Today's my first day!"

Ah. A hazy red hue spread across Kaori's cheeks and she nearly screamed. _S-so cute! W-what year is she? S-she's so small too!_ "U-um- uh- y-yeah, Kaori is just fine. Um… B-but I'm not gonna be a manager! I just… uh, need something from Yuki."

…ah. Tsubasa's bright demeanor immediately dimmed as she let go of Kaori's hand, muttering a measly _'I see…'_ while she lowered her eyes. Kaori's heart thudded with guilt then and she nearly cried, her eyes glazing over. Before the tears could fall, however, Tsubasa shrugged and smiled awkwardly at herself, lifting a balled up fist obscured by her long jacket sleeve to knock against her own head. Kaori blinked.

"Well, it's your choice," she said, her grin bright with understanding. "I won't try to sway you. But let's go to the gym now, okay? I wanna see the team practice!"

And they were off. The entire walk was filled with random conversation starters that the white-haired girl had preloaded due to experience, most of which were responded to awkwardly by the freckled girl – as such, _'Lovely weather, right?' 'Y-yeah, I guess,'_ and _'Do you like volleyball?' 'M-more or less,'_ and also _'Your freckles are really cute!' 'T-t-t-thank y-you very m-much!'_. Thanks to those, however, the two of them were standing before the main gym before either of them knew it. Tsubasa hopped up the steps and moved aside the net that kept stray balls inside.

"Yukie-senpai, I brought-"

"Tsubasa-san, look out!"

The girl blinked. Her eyes widened in alarm at the volleyball hurdling towards her pretty face.

 _Ah._

* * *

 **word count:** 9,950 (lol I wrote this in April when I started having my senior exams)


	6. 6

**6 please let's play like we never lost all that time**

" _Tetsurou, I'm gonna block you this time!" the small, white-haired girl exclaimed with clenched fists. Some kid with atrocious black hair snickered on the other side of the net. "I mean it!"_

" _Yeah, yeah, Tsubaka._ Love _to see you do that."_

" _Then you will!"_

 _On the same side as the messy-haired kid, another sighed and dropped his arms in exhaustion. "Can't we stop now? You guys said one last point. I'm tired. The sun is setting. I wanna have dinner."_

 _On the girl's side, the group's fourth member huffed and pouted. "Well… it's true that it's getting late, but I still wanna play!"_

 _Ah. Kenma glared with what little energy he had left. "Well not everyone has the energy you have." He then turned to the group's only girl. "Haku, aren't you tired too? We've been at it since lunch."_

 _Tsubasa hummed to suppress the worn-out pants that wanted to escape. "W-well… I guess Kenma's right, you know?" Koutarou and Tetsurou blinked at the girl's sudden change in opinion. "The sun is setting, and I_ am _kinda tired. I'm getting hungry too. We should get going now – especially since we have school tomorrow."_

" _Heh?! B-but Tsubasa, you just said-"_

" _Ha! Guess that block will have to wait, huh?"_

 _Kenma managed a small sigh and nod of gratitude towards the girl, which she returned with a giggle and a shrug. "Yeah, I guess. But definitely tomorrow after your cram school and my lessons!"_

 _Tetsurou smirked. "Oh yeah?"_

 _Tsubasa returned the cheeky grin with an intense glint of her silver eyes. "Yeah." She nodded, her mussed bangs swishing with the motion. "I'm definitely gonna block you tomorrow!"_

* * *

"Tsubasa-san, look out!"

The ball was heading straight for her face. Tsubasa pushed Kaori off to the side and took a few quick steps back, before squatting down and positioning her arms right in front of her. The girl grinned at the familiar pressure upon her limbs when she received the hit cleanly, bouncing it back in a way so it arched up into the air and curved – right into the referee's hands as he stood from the suspended chair to properly watch the ball. The ref blinked. Shiratorizawa blinked. Fukuroudani blinked.

Tsubasa beamed and turned to Yukie, grabbing Kaori's wrist and waving with her other arm as she brushed off the receive like it was nothing. The first-year could only gawk. "Senpai! I brought your friend!"

Yukie blinked rapidly as she gaped at the small, but impressive girl, before she grinned shakily and reached a hand up to pat Tsubasa's hair. "N-nice receive, Tsu-chan. Are your arms okay?"

"Yeah. The ball had lost lots of its power after being blocked, so it was easy to redirect and it didn't hurt at all."

"I see. Then…" Yukie redirected her gaze to her friend. "Yo, Kao."

"Geh, Yuki…" And the brunette was darting for the third-year's neck. "You stole my bus pass, you-"

Ah. And the first-year was chasing her childhood friend around the gym, leaving Tsubasa behind to giggle at the sight of them. On Fukuroudani's side of the court, Akaashi breathed a sigh of relief to himself quietly as he pressed a hand over his heart, an action that drew a few cheeky smirks from his teammates – something he would have narrowed his eyes had he not been reprimanding himself for being the one to cry out to the girl _._ Bokuto, not noticing any of this, gave a large wave and proud grin at his best friend.

"Nice receive, Tsubasa!" he yelled, just as the ref whistled and tossed the ball to the next server on Shiratorizawa's side. Tsubasa threw back a simple thumbs-up as the game resumed.

It was surprisingly intense for a game that had just started – or rather, for a practice game that was certainly the first of many. Tsubasa hummed as she observed the score; both teams were steadily approaching the tens, with Shiratorizawa ahead at 8-7. Coach Yuuto grinned at her.

"Amazing, right?" he prompted the girl. "We just started this match, but we're almost to the tens. I guess when you have an ace that just barely misses the top three, it's a lot more serious than need be. Though, I wouldn't be surprised if we lost this one. Our loss of morning practice is more devastating than you'd think."

" _Yuki gimme my pass back!"_

" _Or what? You gonna cry in front of-"_

" _S-shut up! Not so loud!"_

Tsubasa hummed once more as the ref whistled, signaling it was time for the setter to serve. "I see. That's understandable. This is my first time being so up close with a practice match, but if we won this one, it'd be a moral booster, right? Since the opposing team's ace is in the top three."

"Mm, right."

She blinked simply, watching as the ball went up and _smack!_ right into the net. The scores updated. _8-8._

"I'm sorry!"

" _Yuki! Please!"_

" _Only if you'll play manager with Tsu-chan and I for Golden Week."_

" _Eh?!"_

"Don't mind! Next, next!"

Tsubasa followed the ball as it bounced over to their side of the court, landing in Akaashi's grip. She grinned eagerly and cupped her hands around her lips.

"Woo, Keiji! Get one!"

The coach looked down to her, eyes widened slightly. _First name basis?!_

The owl players, aside from Konoha and Sarukui, gaped at the girl. _First name basis?!_

Ah. And the lot of them looked to the setter/vice-captain for answers. He grumbled simply at their bewildered and flushed expressions, waiting for the whistle to sound so he could serve the damn ball. Tsubasa, not hearing the whistle go off yet, took it as her cue to give some encouragement.

"Say, Koutarou," she called, one hand curved around her mouth. The third-year looked to her excitedly. "Since this is my first time seeing you play, you absolutely have to win this. Okay? No exceptions."

…ah. And the captain nodded simply, his sweat rolling down his face slowly as his eyes went alight with some golden sheen. There was then a change in the atmosphere – a switch, it seemed, had gone off in the captain's brain and the animalistic instinct that had him climbing up the nation's ace rankings was suddenly turned up to the max. Both sides of the court blinked dumbly at Bokuto's change in demeanor, all triggered by a few simple words from the girl, and they could only stare at her curiously.

 _Who is she?_

The whistle blew then and Akaashi was tossing the ball up, taking a few quick steps to prep for his jump serve.

"Keiji, nice serve!"

* * *

The gym fell into silence. Each and every volleyball that was about to be tossed up for spiking practice was held firmly in the practice setters' hands, allowing for a lone volleyball on Court A to roll by in its lonesome. The two competitive teams taking up said court were stilled in their positions, with only their harsh breathing and rugged panting filling the gym's musky air. Everyone stared at the score.

 _22-24._

The team of Seijoh, which had long returned from their morning jog with a few laps around the neighborhood, blinked with wide, disbelieving eyes. Even the coaches were frozen with shock, and the tense atmosphere was only broken when Tsubasa gave a wolf whistle and clapped.

"Good game~" she cheered coolly. "Now just win the next matches too."

"A-all of them?!" Bokuto replied haggardly. Regardless, he managed some shit-eating smirk as he pulled himself together, standing up straight and pressing his knuckles against his hips. His confident gaze quickly found that of Ushijima, who wiped at his face with his jersey. "How's that for courtesy, Ushiwaka?"

The young man said nothing in response, simply averting his eyes and walking off the court as a teammate nudged him. Coach Yuuto gawked at the score as Yukie went to recording it in a neat notebook. The young woman was also at awe with the numbers, for the practice matchers were only meant to stop at _16_ points. Coach Yuuto, remembering his job as (assistant) coach, stood and gestured for his players to crowd around the bench, signaling for Yukie to start handing out towels and water bottles – which, of course, Tsubasa and Kaori helped out with.

"Nice work, Koutarou," Tsubasa said with a wide grin, slinging a towel around his neck and holding a water bottle out for him. "You've gotten really good!"

"Of course!" Bokuto took a long swig of his water before grinning down at his childhood friend. "You got some good receives in too, you know."

Ah. It was mainly receiving stray balls from Court B and making sure the balls didn't ricochet everywhere and then returning them to the other team, but it was receiving nonetheless. Tsubasa shrugged simply, not paying any mind as Bokuto draped his arm over her shoulders and leaned on her heavily. The action did not go unnoticed, and was blinked at by Kaori. The first-year absentmindedly handed Akaashi a water bottle, who took silent notice of the childhood friends from the corner of his eyes. A select few of Seijoh stared at this as well as the team began to move towards Court A, essentially switching places with Shiratorizawa.

Tsubasa rolled her eyes but grinned faintly anyway, taking the towel around his neck to wipe at his face and ruffle his hair. "Well, seems like that's all I can do now."

At this, Bokuto blinked at the young girl despite the fluffy cloth obscuring his vision. "Wha-"

"Yosh, we're switching sides!" Coach Yuuto interrupted unintentionally. "Bokuto-kun, make sure your muscles don't freeze up! Our match with Seijoh starts as soon as they finish warming up, got it?"

Bokuto nodded as Tsubasa began pushing him to the other side of the court. "Yeah, got it!"

As the owlish captain trotted onto the other side of the court and began jumping around (his teammates knew it was just his way of stretching), Tsubasa managed to latch onto the drenched sleeve of Akaashi's shirt. The male looked down to her, just as he finished emptying his water bottle.

"Good work, vice," Tsubasa said, grinning knowingly as she held her hand out for the now-empty bottle.

Akaashi nodded at her in acknowledgement, his eyes immediately falling upon the peach-colored bandage on her forehead. It was printed, this time, with the No-Face monster from Spirited Away. He gently tapped the empty bottle against her forehead.

"How's the bruise?" he asked, holding the bottle steady.

"Healing," Tsubasa answered vaguely, reaching up to take the bottle. The brief brushing of their fingers went by unnoticed by the girl, but the soft feeling was indefinitely engraved within the boy's mind. "Need anymore water?"

"No thank you. Good work to you as well." Something ticked in the male's mind suddenly then as she dropped her hand with a pout. He blinked abruptly when the girl went to excuse herself to tend to the other plays, grabbing her wrist. "You didn't eat breakfast, did you?"

Tsubasa blinked rapidly before she shook her head slowly. "Mm… no, I don't think so. I was outside waiting all morning, now that I think of it."

Ah. Akaashi deadpanned intensely at the girl, prompting her to stiffen and wave a hand.

"I-it's fine though! I can manage, this is nothing!"

"Tsubasa-san, what have I been saying this entire day?"

"…to not push myself."

And the girl hung her head and sulked. Akaashi sighed quietly before releasing her wrist, from which his hand tingled pleasantly. He then gently turned her towards the door off to the side of the stadium and gave her the lightest push.

"There are snacks in the breakroom. Go eat something."

"Yes, yes…"

As Tsubasa went to trotting along the sidelines and politely smiling at the opposing team, Akaashi turned to Bokuto as the captain called him onto the court.

"Where's she off to?"

"The clubroom. She didn't have breakfast, so I told her to eat something."

"Ah, okay!"

Off to the side stretching in the corners, Komi grinned crookedly beside a sweat-dropping Sarukui and Konoha.

"Even Tsu-chan can't escape his mom instincts," the short volleyball player commented, pulling his arm across his chest.

On the other side of the net, Oikawa hummed with eyes narrowed in scrutiny. Whatever thoughts he was having, he banished in order to focus on taping his knee properly before he covered it up with the brace. In the meantime, Tsubasa seated herself at a plastic table with a plastic cup of pudding, something she dug into hungrily. She stared down at the smooth surface of the table with absentminded thoughts, all of them covering a variety of topics – but mainly focused on a certain volleyball player. She huffed.

 _How can he notice things about me that I don't notice?_

Ah. It was almost jealousy. Tsubasa jumped abruptly as her phone buzzed noisily in her pocket, signaling a text message – or rather, a series of hastily-typed messages all from a single sender. She blinked.

 _ **Kenma [5/3 10:02 AM]:**_ _help_

 _ **Kenma [5/3 10:02 AM]:**_ _lost n Miyagi(?)_

 _ **Kenma [5/3 10:02 AM]:**_ _some kid keeps talking to me_

 _ **Kenma [5/3 10:02 AM]:**_ _wHyYYY_

 _ **Kenma [5/3 10:02 AM]:**_ _wat do_

 _ **Kenma [5/3 10:02 AM]:**_ _COUNTYR PPL GOSH_

Tsubasa laughed aloud at the obviously-hurried text messages, before she finally decided to reply.

 _ **[5/3 10:04 AM]:**_ _Wow, rude. Just go with it, maybe you'll make a new friend_

 _ **[5/3 10:05 AM]:**_ _Like, worst case scenario is that they're secretly some underground thug and they wanna harvest your organs, but what are the odds of that?_

 _ **Kenma [5/3 10:05 AM]:**_ _u suck_

A pause ensued and when five minutes passed with no further texting, Tsubasa chuckled to herself quietly before consuming the rest of the chilly pudding and throwing the plastic container away. Her stomach ached slightly from the small treat (she usually didn't eat before lunchtime, and most days her diet consisted of the loving bento made by her uncle and then some ramen in the dead of night), but she found herself wanting more anyway. She shook her head on a second serving of pudding, opting instead for a bottle of water to fill her up.

When she reentered the gym with a slightly-more energetic persona (which was hard to notice since she was already energetic enough), Yukie waved her over from the sidelines. Kaori suppressed the suspicious stare she wanted to give the white-haired girl.

"Alright ladies," Yukie started, standing before the two with her hands propped against her hips. "There's three of us and three teams. I want one of us with each of the teams, but at the same time, I don't want us sticking with any of them or with any one station. We'll rotate counter-clockwise whenever they switch, okay? Let's draw lots and see which team we start up with."

And with that, the young woman presented three folded slips of paper in a small bin. Tsubasa allowed Kaori to choose first before picking for herself, leaving Yukie with the last slip.

"G-geh… y-you set this up!" Kaori exclaimed accusatorily, crumpling up the slip as she glared at Yukie. The third-year pouted playfully.

"Yeah, yeah, get to your team." As the first-year meekly walked over to Fukuroudani, Yukie smiled at Tsubasa, who deadpanned at her slip. "So, since I have Shiratorizawa, I guess you've got Seijoh?"

"Yeah… I don't have to cheer for them, do I?"

"Nah, just help with handing out towels and bottles like usual. But make sure you try to learn at the same time, alright? You seem to know volleyball pretty well, but watch how both teams move, the relationships between players, stuff like that. I have an extra notebook if you'd like."

Tsubasa nodded and smiled eagerly. After receiving the empty notebook, the two split up and the second-year was trotting towards Seijoh's bench. She ignored the obvious staring and approached the younger of the two coaches on the bench, having recognized him from the early morning. As she got to explaining and introducing herself, the volleyball players watched curiously – and mainly for the eyecandy. They blinked in confusion, however, when she seated herself on the bench and began casually chatting with their coaches, all while the opposing team continued warming up.

"Oi, keep at it!" the younger of the two coaches, Mizoguchi, yelled at the volleyball players upon seeing them watch. "Match starts in five!"

"Yes!"

When they returned to their warm-ups, one of them couldn't help but frown. Kunimi nearly glared into space, fingers locking around the volleyball between his hands.

 _Why is she so familiar?_

Ah. The boy then huffed to himself.

 _What a pain._

* * *

He supposed he literally should have seen it coming.

The second practice match of the day went off without a hitch, with both teams scoring steadily as they adjusted to each other. When the first time-out was called, the white-haired girl explained to the team why she was there and helping out, before proceeding to actually help out. She handed out towels and water bottles while chatting casually with everyone when they flocked around her, which was more or less annoying when he found that even Kindaichi had left his side to do the same thing. Yahaba was ultimately the one to lead the conversation, and it went as such: _"Your hair is super pretty!" "Ah ha, thanks…" "Do you have a boyfriend, manager-chan?" "Ah- no, but I'm not really looking for a relationship right now." "Eh… Then, how about a new volleyball te-" "No."_

(On that note, a certain pink-haired male was standing on the sidelines during this conversation, anxiously watching his younger teammates communicate with the girl with ease. It was practically envy.)

((Oikawa had even pointed to the group and said, _"Makki, you can't do that?"_ ))

(((The response was, _"H-h-hell no! Y-you haven't even given me any tips, jackass."_ to which Oikawa said, _"Why didn't you say so sooner?! Loads of vacation homework are at stake here! C'mere, you-!" "E-eh?! Wait- oi!"_ )))

Anyway, her response was faster than lightning. The whistle blew again then and the teams were back at it, with Fukuroudani in the lead by a few points. When the ball got rolling and Seijoh managed to pull the scores into a tie, the girl decided – at that very moment, as if she knew it would do something to one of the teams – to cup her hands around her mouth and give something like a cheer. It went as such:

" _F-fight, Seijoh!"_

And that's how Kunimi Akira, with his whirlwind of bad karma which ultimately bestowed upon him bad luck and bad timing, found himself sliding on his back as an angered and mildly-jealous spike from the opposing team's ace ricocheted violently off of his lax face. And it was at that very moment that the lazy boy finally had the flashback he needed.

The exhausted faces of his previous 'teammates' from middle school flashed around him. The crowd was numbing his sense of hearing and the sheen of his sweat felt misplaced; for someone so dispassionate about something, he should not have been exerting himself that much – especially since it was forced in the first place.

By the King of the Court.

 _Dictator._

Yet despite that, despite the obviously miserable and haggard appearance of his middle school team – all because of some over-passionate kid who thought he knew everything – one soul amidst the deafening crowd had the audacity to cheer for them. For _him_.

" _Fight, Kitagawa! Fight, Tobi-kun!"_

The coaches winced as they watched Kunimi crash onto his back, skidding a few inches before the volleyball finally bounced off his face and let him be, but not before forcing the back of his head against the wooden floors painfully. Kindaichi was easily running for his friend while the rest of his teammates crowded around, worried but also confused; it was rare to see the boy out of it, and the seniors of the team daresay it was the first time he had actually been hit like that. Oikawa knelt beside the boy.

"Kunimi-chan? Are you okay?" the captain asked as he helped the boy sit up slowly. "Ah- you're bleeding!"

Kunimi huffed and brought his wrist up against his nose, which ran with blood and stained his shirt. Tsubasa came running onto the court then with a towel in hand, kneeling down beside Kunimi quickly. She pressed the towel gently against his nose and lifted her other hand to the back of his head, gently urging him to tilt his face forward. Her eyes hollowed at the sight of the familiar red liquid, and for the briefest split second, she could have sworn she was going to lurch. She swallowed thickly and averted her gaze to the boy's back, something Oikawa took note of silently.

"If you keep your head straight, then the blood will go back and you'll swallow it. C'mon, tilt your face forward some more."

The boy, despite now knowing who the girl was, complied silently. He was far too tired to resist. Tsubasa brushed her fingers against the back of his head then and froze, before she frowned to herself and turned to the boy.

"Does your head hurt?" she asked softly, bringing her hand down to his shoulder. The boy nodded simply, wincing at the action. She looked across to Oikawa then. "We should get him to the sidelines."

The captain nodded and took the boy's arm around his neck, easily lifting him onto his feet with Kindaichi's help. The spiky-haired boy took the towel from Tsubasa and held it in place while the girl trotted quickly to the coaches, informing them of the bump on the back of Kunimi's head. They quickly got the boy settled down on the bench with a cooling towel around his neck and a new one held against his nose, and soon enough, the game resumed. After doing what she could to assess whether or not the boy had a concussion, she smiled and concluded that the boy was fine, something she signaled to the coaches and Kindaichi with a thumbs-up.

"Good, you're in the clear. Kindaichi-san, why don't you get back to the game? You can leave Kunimi-san to me."

"Ah- er, o-okay… Then…" And the boy was hesitantly trotting off, joining the rest of his teammates in the back.

Tsubasa smiled at Kunimi then. "Then I'll go get you some ice. Has the bleeding stopped?" She held her hand out for the bloodied towel, and upon seeing the bleeding had stopped, her smile wavered just a tad and she took it away from him. "Good! Lay on your back for now and elevate your feet on this bag, alright? I'll be back!"

"Wait."

The girl paused and blinked down at the boy. Now on his back, he draped an arm over his eyes to block out the light.

"You're older then me, so don't use –san. It's weird."

Tsubasa blinked. "Then Kun-kun."

Ah. She was running off before he could reply. Tsubasa hummed to herself thoughtfully as she jogged for the clubroom, wondering how the volleyball player knew she was older. She didn't recall ever saying her school-year or age.

She hummed simply, searching about for a cooling pack.

 _Well, whatever._

* * *

The second practice match went to Fukuroudani, but when Shiratorizawa returned for the third match of the day, the team of owls ultimately broke their streak. After that, lunch rolled by quickly and the teams were at it once more, with Tsubasa assisting the swans and Yukie beside Seijoh, ultimately leaving Kaori with the owls once again. The match went by quickly with few interactions between Tsubasa and the swans due to their strict demon coach–

(Though, there _were_ some casual conversations between her and Tendou, which went as follows: _"Your hair's a weird color." "Yeah, yours is too." "Your hair reminds me of a cinnamon roll caked with icing." "Yours reminds me of stalagmites." "…" "…" "Ha ha! I haven't heard that before! You're creative, Tsubasa-chan." "Ah, thanks. I hope I'm as sweet as a cinnamon roll." "Without a doubt!"_ )

((Even weirder was that perhaps there _were_ more conversation than given credit for, for Ushijima had also approached the girl. It went as such: _"Do you play volleyball?" "I used to as a kid." "What position?" "Setter." "And you don't play anymore?" "Nope." "You've received many balls though." "Um… Instinct, I guess?" "…I see."_ A pause had followed then before he continued. _"Is Bokuto an important person to you?" "The most important! He's my best friend!" "I see."_ It ended there.))

(((And _then_ Semi had pushed the two onto the court to get started so that their demon coach wouldn't snap at them, which Tsubasa smiled at him apologetically for. She then proceeded to compliment his hair, something he returned coolly with a grin and a nod. He may have even winked, but that was up for debate.)))

–and before the teams knew it, the first day of training camp was over, with Shiratorizawa owning to the longest streak of unbeaten practice matches, being five in a row. Fukuroudani was quickly behind them in second place with four in a row, and of course, Seijoh was last with two. Those of Seijoh thought it was only natural, considering how both teams had been to nationals too many times to count. It was still a bit disheartening though.

Regardless of competition, the teams were winding down with the setting sun. While the training camp's three managers went off to prepare dinner, only a few of the volleyball players stayed within the gyms for after-practice practice. The cafeteria was therefore filled with casual and friendly chatter by the players who decided to that enough was enough, while the coaches retired for a night of drinking and entrusted the managers to look after everything.

Tsubasa wiped at her forehead as she slowly stirred the pot of steaming curry, before smiling in satisfaction and turning to Yukie.

"Senpai, the curry's done! What next?"

The young woman smiled at the girl from her spot at the sink, where she was washing apples and other such fruits. "You're so diligent, Tsu-chan. This should be good, so why don't you go get the players who stayed after?"

"Okay!"

And the girl was trotting out of the kitchen after tying up her blue apron. When the door closed after her figure, Yukie finally turned to Kaori, who slowly polished the bowls and stacked them atop one another. The third-year grinned cheekily, prompting the first-year to huff.

"W-what?"

"I should be asking you that." Yukie strained the bowl of apples before walking over to the display trays, gently setting them down in one of the trays at the end. "You have fun today?"

"…it was okay."

"Yeah? That's good. We're leaving this year, Kaori. Stay in the club after Golden Week, alright?"

"…" Kaori frowned gently to herself as she put the rag down. "Um… Tsubasa is more than enough, don't you think?"

Yukie blinked slowly, before turning to the girl and crossing her arms. "She's a second-year, you know."

"E-eh?! Then- Tsubasa- _senpai_?!"

"Yup." Yukie stared at her childhood friend as she went back to polishing the bowls. She reproached the sink and went to tear open a few nets of little mandarins, which she transferred quickly to a large bowl before further transferring it to another display tray. "She and Bokuto are childhood friends. Best friends. _Just_ friends."

"T-then why haven't I seen her before? Or at least heard of her?" Kaori huffed once more, moving to stack more bowls and plates quickly. "Boketo-san didn't even say hi to me."

"Well for one, you've been avoiding us and Bokuto since this year started." Ah. The younger girl flinched slightly at that. "And secondly… well, it seems a bit complicated between them. Bokuto was avoiding her for a while when she first showed up, but obviously they're better now. He hasn't really said that much about her."

Kaori grumbled. _That doesn't make me feel better._

"But what's it matter?" Yukie turned and met Kaori's gaze quickly. "You can't get like this if you're not going to make a move."

…ah. At this, the first-year huffed and finally took the tray of bowls and plates, lifting it up and bringing it over to the serving counter.

"I know that!"

Yukie smirked.

"Good."

When the remaining volleyball players joined the rest in the cafeteria, the three managers got to serving them and poking whatever fun they could with those they were familiar with. Bokuto had made a point of waiting at the end of the serving counter for Tsubasa, saying they definitely had to eat dinner together since it was their first training camp with one another – and especially since the girl had missed out on breakfast – and he waited in such a way that his owlish eyes and hairstyle peeked over the edge hauntingly. Yukie sighed.

"Since you missed out on breakfast because of me," the third-year said, turning to the white-haired girl by the sink, "you can go ahead and eat dinner. You must be starving, right?"

Tsubasa immediately shook her head, waving a hand. "It's okay! I can-" She stopped. From a table nearby, Akaashi practically glared into the girl's small back, something she felt and recognized with a horrified shudder. The girl hung her head in defeat. "Okay…"

"Finally! Tsubaka, I'll get your food for you!" Ah. And the owl captain was reaching for a tray and a plate.

"Ah! No you won't! It'll be just like when we were kids and you'd put too much!" Tsubasa cried, rushing out of the kitchen after tying up her apron.

"Isn't it fine? You should eat more anyway! It's why you're so short now~"

Ah. And he was holding the tray over her head as she reached for it futilely.

"Nuh-uh! That's genetics! Genetics!"

"Yes, yes~! Let's go eat, Genetics-chan!"

"Hey now!"

From one of Shiratorizawa's tables, Tendou sighed dreamily at the sight of the bickering duo, just as Akaashi called them out for their disruptive antics and scolded them. The two were then sullenly plodding to the table.

"Childhood friendship must be nice," he commented, prompting Semi to look to him.

"Oh. A tame comment. How rare."

"I'm not a jerk 100% of the time~ Right, Wakatoshi-kun?"

Ushijima looked up from his food and blinked blankly, nodding just a bit. "Yes."

When the childhood friends were seated with the rest of Fukuroudani's starters, the main third-years of Seijoh stared after them thoughtfully. Oikawa hummed, eyeing the lack of physical distance between those two; they were practically pressed up against one another and they didn't even seem to notice it.

"They're a little close, don't you think?" the setter said, before shifting his gaze to the owl vice-captain, who was suddenly more engaged in the conversation when Tsubasa turned to him expectantly. Their eyes locked brightly with one another. Oikawa hummed. "Not just owl captain and manager-chan, but her and the vice too. They're on first-name basis."

"Yeah, I noticed that too," Iwaizumi commented, before turning to Matsukawa. "Oi, let's call off that second bet."

"Eh? Why?"

"Because that girl's too easy to talk to, even with Hanamaki like that." Ah. And the vice-captain nodded towards the pink-faced male. "She could easily make conversation with him for five minutes. I'm not up to taking a load of vacation homework."

Hearing that, Oikawa snapped towards the two and slammed a fist down. "No! You can't back out of a bet! If you do, you have to do _that_ for penalty."

Ah. Iwaizumi immediately jerked while Matsukawa paled. "Why?! We didn't set that up for this bet! _That_ penalty isn't universal!"

"Yes it is! Makki, didn't we make that a rule?"

"H-huh? Uh… no, that's only if you can't do the actual universal penalty." At that, Oikawa immediately slumped, slamming another fist down in frustration. "The universal penalty is to pay up five-hundred yen each. But if you can't do that on the spot, _then_ we do _that_ penalty."

Iwaizumi and Matsukawa immediately pulled out their wallets, sifting through their change and bills. They then successfully, and even a bit dejectedly, each slammed down a five-hundred yen coin. Oikawa tutted and took his half, while Hanamaki sighed in relief and reached for the other coin.

"Thank god," he muttered, pressing a hand over his heart. "Honestly, I was starting to get bad vibes about that bet. Was it just me, or did the owl vice seem a bit… defensive about m-manager-chan?"

"I think he was," Iwaizumi murmured thoughtfully. "He was staring you down when you first tried to talk to her in the morning."

"Y-yeah, I felt that…" Hanamaki then sat up a bit straighter then and looked to Matsukawa, who had taken out the bet notepad and flipped it open. "S-so, about the other bet, can we check anything else off?"

" _Yes_ ," the male said immediately, removing a pencil from his pocket and pointing to a select few of the checkboxes. "I say she has proved herself to be both sweet and vulgar. Anyone disagree?"

"N-nope."

"Nah."

"No… I don't understand how she does that, honestly."

"Well regardless of _how_ she does it," Matsukawa said, observing the last two checkboxes that demanded to be checked, "looks like Hiro did good in being an optimist. Only two more left."

"Ha! You pessimists could learn a thing or two from me."

"I'm a realist; it's different." Iwaizumi went to peeling an orange, eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Like seriously, that combination of traits is rare. And besides, it's not like she's shown all of them."

" _Yet_. She hasn't shown all of them _yet_." Hanamaki sipped at his milk, almost pouting. "It's only the first day. We've got until Sunday."

Oikawa sighed at the reality, slouching onto the table. "That's true. Hopefully we don't have anymore accidents like with what happened to Kunimi-chan today. Seriously, if that kid can actually get hit like that, then anything can happen."

"Now that you mention it, that was weird," Matsukawa remarked. "He's slow to actually get involved in the game, but he's quick to get out of the way no matter how fast a ball comes at him. That was a spike from the owl ace too. Must've really hurt."

"Think something's wrong?" Hanamaki asked, turning to Iwaizumi and Oikawa. "You two knew him in junior high. What's something like this mean?"

"Eh? Well…" Oikawa pouted as his thoughts seemed to fail him. "I can't think of anything."

"Then let's just ask." Ah. Iwaizumi turned and looked to a table not too far from theirs. He waved an arm, catching Yahaba's attention and proceeding to point to the lax boy beside him. Yahaba nudged him and pointed to their vice-captain. "Oi, Kunimi! Come here for a sec."

Oikawa grinned crookedly. "So direct."

"Shut up. It'd be bad to have anything happen like that again, especially since we're away from home."

"Yes, yes…" Oikawa sat up a bit straighter as Kunimi finally approached their table, his expression as lax as always. A bandage, decorated with Totoro figures, comforted the bridge of his nose while gauze wrapped around his head. Oikawa smiled. "Hey, Kunimi-chan. How're the injuries?"

Kunimi blinked slowly. "They're fine. I'm fine. A real nurse stopped by earlier and made sure I had no concussion, remember?"

"Ha ha, I know, I know. Your senpai are still worrying though, so have a seat."

…ah. Somehow, it was almost intimidating. Kunimi sat silently as Oikawa patted the spot beside him. He looked to Iwaizumi as he spoke next.

"It's weird for you to zone out on the court," he reasoned, splitting his orange in half and proceeding to offer a few sections to the first-year. Kunimi bowed his head and accepted the fruit. "Everything alright? We can't have something like that happening again."

Kunimi, again, blinked slowly as he consumed the fruit. He averted his gaze. "Everything's fine. I was just surprised."

"By what?"

"…the white-haired manager. She made me remember something."

Oikawa perked up at this. "Oh? What'd you remember?"

"…" Kunimi sluggishly lifted his gaze to his captain, almost hesitating. "Oikawa-san, do you know if Kageyama has an older sister? Or maybe… even a girlfriend, of sorts?"

"Eh. _Eh_?!" The captain sat up straight immediately, brows furrowing wildly in puzzlement as he stared at the boy. "S-so something really is wrong! Why're you asking about that guy? Especially about something kinda personal! I-I don't even know Tobio-chan like that, so I couldn't say…"

"Why're you bringing up Kageyama?" Iwaizumi prompted, quirking an eyebrow.

Kunimi held the puzzled and concerned gazes of his senpai silently, before slowly turning his head back toward his table. He cupped a hand around his mouth to amplify his voice.

"Oi, Kindaichi!" the boy suddenly called, his expression as deadpan as ever. Kindaichi looked up from his meal.

"What?" he called back.

Kunimi returned his gaze to the third-years as he stood abruptly. "Oh. Look at that. Kindaichi's calling for me."

"What is it, Kunimi?"

"Bye."

Ah. Oikawa stood from his seat quickly. "That's not how that- wait, Kunimi-chan- _get back here_!"

…ah. And the boy was scurrying away, leaving behind a gaping captain and vice-captain as he returned to a confused Kindaichi. Their useless comrades, who at some point had relaxed against one another as the conversation went on, blinked slowly.

"He ran away," the both of them commented, prompting Oikawa to jerk in their direction.

"I can see that!"

And then those two were teasing their flustered captain. Iwaizumi hummed to himself thoughtfully, before his eyes strayed from his table and to the owls, who seemed to be getting louder and louder with each passing minute. He eyed the girl suspiciously as she texted away on her phone, drawing a few chiding remarks from Akaashi and a curious drawl from Bokuto.

" _Tsubasa-san, it's rude to text at the table."_

" _I-I know, I'm sorry! But it's Kenma and Tetsurou, so I can't really-"_

" _It's Kuroo and Kenma? Call them call them!"_

" _Wha- no, Koutarou- give me my phone back!"_

Iwaizumi could only quirk an eyebrow. _Is she somehow related to Kageyama? That doesn't make any sense._

The vice-captain sighed to himself and dismissed whatever lingering thoughts he had on the matter, opting to finish the meal skillfully prepared by the owls' managers.

When dinner had finished, Bokuto and the rest of Fukuroudani thanked their managers for their hard work, bowing gratefully and practically screaming out their thanks. This prompted the other two teams to thank the three girls as well, before Yukie grinned and clapped her hands, telling the volleyball players that the showers were open and free to use. While the teams decided third-years would go first, Yukie led Tsubasa and Kaori to the female showers, happy to drag them away and finally have real girl time.

Which, for the record, was indefinitely ruined when Bokuto was impatiently bursting into the girls' shower rooms crying for Tsubasa. Nearly a heart attack and some screaming later, Tsubasa managed to get the male out with relaxed chiding, promising to be out in ten minutes. He left then, hopping out excitedly and leaving the girls to their shower. Tsubasa sighed, moving to rinse out the vanilla-scented conditioner still in her hair, while Kaori, in the stall next to hers, struggled to pick herself up from the tiled floors. Yukie sighed roughly and picked up the bottle of shampoo she had dropped.

"Tch, that guy's the worst," the third-year muttered, her stall right beside Kaori's. _Didn't I lock the door?_ "How can you deal with him so calmly like that, Tsu-chan?"

"Mm… Well, even though it's been a few years, I've known him since we were in diapers." Hearing that, Kaori nearly slipped on the tiles. Tsubasa was turning her water off at this point. "Somehow I'm still kinda used to him doing stuff like that. If anything, I expect it."

"Eh… That sounds tiring."

"Geh… It is." And she was then dressed in absurdly baggy clothing with her shower items collected in a bag. She exited her stall and turned to the other two stalls beside her, both of them still closed and running with steaming water. "Then, I'm off. I'll occupy Koutarou, so you don't have to worry. Shower peacefully~"

"Yes, yes. Thanks, Tsu-chan."

"B-b-b-b-bye, s-s-senpai…"

And her heart was warming at being called senpai. Chirping out another goodbye, Tsubasa trotted out of the showers with a skip in her steps, retrieving her shoes from the cubbies outside and proceeding into the cool night. As soon as she pushed the door open, strong arms wrapped around her waist and hauled her into the air. She squeaked in surprise.

"Yosh, let's go!" Bokuto cheered, throwing the girl over his shoulder and taking her bag. Tsubasa weakly pounded away at his brick-like back in frustration.

"Damn you, _Koutarou_!"

* * *

"You didn't become any less impatient over the years, now did you?" Tsubasa said with a sigh as Bokuto, with a concentrated pout, carefully towel-dried the girl's hair. He was seated right behind her with her Totoro-themed towel blanketing his large hands, cradling her long locks and gently rubbing the towel into their dampness. The girl sighed once more. "Honestly… You can't do stuff like that when there are other girls. You nearly gave Kaori a heart attack."

"It's fine, it's fine," he muttered back, focusing intently on her hair. His own grey and black locks were damp and down from their usual style as well. "She's still alive, it's okay."

"Heh… What faulty reasoning."

"Hmph."

They were in one of the classrooms in the second-year hallway. After literally carrying Tsubasa through the school, he'd dropped themselves off in a classroom Bokuto had gone out of his way to prepare for the both of them; the desks were pushed off to the side and the chairs stacked neatly, while their futons were collected beneath the windows with some extra blankets. The male figured that no matter what anyone else said or did, they would definitely spend the night together to commemorate their first training camp together. Tsubasa leaned back suddenly, trying to meet the male's eyes.

"How're Yo-nii and Ji-nee?"

Ah. Bokuto smiled at the thought of his older siblings. "They're good! Ji-nee is pursuing her master's degree in law, and Yo-nii is going after his associate's. He's not sure what he wants to major in yet, but he stills plays basketball. He actually got scouted by some big universities, so he was thinking of transferring out of his current college after he gets his associate's degree."

"Uwah! Really? That's great!" Tsubasa chuckled to herself; when she pictured the older brother of her best friend, she couldn't help but see her own older brother right beside him. Her smile softened. "Does Yo-nii know? About Tamotsu-nii-san?"

"…no. He hasn't come home yet, and he's been busy anyway, so I haven't had a chance to tell him. Mom and pops know you're back though, and they wanna see you."

Her heart was suddenly squeezed by some inexplicable warmth. She smiled despite the pressure behind her eyes. "Really? I'm glad. When can I come over?"

The male flicked the back of her head suddenly, prompting her to cry out. "What sort of question is that? Anytime you want, duh! But you should come over on your birthday, since that's coming up soon."

"…is it really?"

"Yeah." Ah. There was the briefest moment of silence. Bokuto lightly pulled on her locks then. "Your hair got really long."

"Well of course. Hair can grow long, you know."

Ah. Bokuto snickered suddenly, playfully tugging on her hair and smirking behind her ear. "You know what else can grow long?"

She immediately elbowed his stomach, but grinned nonetheless. "I didn't think you would know."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" And he was tugging on her hair once more to reprimand her snarky comment, something she only responded to with her own cheeky snicker. Bokuto huffed and returned his attention to her hair. "But why'd you grow it out so long? You always liked it short when we were kids."

"Mm… I dunno, honestly. I guess I just didn't like having to ask to get a haircut. Mom always said no anyways when we were travelling."

Bokuto snorted indignantly, bringing the towel up to rub her scalp. "Who cares what that woman thinks anymore," he muttered, eyes narrowing at the thought of her mother. "If you want it short, then cut it short. There isn't anyone to say no anymore."

Tsubasa smiled crookedly, leaning back into his hands and closing her eyes peacefully. "Heh~ that's an awfully wise thing to say."

"I-I can be wise! I've learned things too over the years!"

The girl chuckled. "I know, I know. I'm glad I don't have to spell anything out anymore." When the male puffed out air in response, the girl opened her eyes tilted her head back as much as she could. She stared at his hair. "But speaking of hair, you dyed yours. Why? You only dyed the roots too."

"At first it was because of a bet I lost as a first-year. But then everyone thought it looked cool, so I stuck with it. And it's easier to only have to dye the roots rather than everything."

"Heh~ Koutarou learned things about life and hair styling. Amazing."

"S-shut up! Not everyone can learn more languages like you have!"

"That's different! I had to learn more languages in order to get around! It wasn't any fun!" It was Tsubasa's turn to huff and pout as she leaned back into his hands, eventually falling against his chest. She frowned to herself. "I didn't learn all of that stuff because I wanted to. I learned because I had to. It wasn't… fun at all. None of it was fun."

Bokuto blinked slowly as he briefly stopped drying the girl's hair to gaze down at her face thoughtfully. Her glasses sat beside his thigh atop the covers of their futons. He hummed, leaning forward to rest his chin atop her hair. "What about today?"

"Hm?"

He shifted and leaned towards her side, trying to see her face. "Was today fun? The first day of your first training camp… was it fun?"

Ah. Her eyes immediately lit up and she turned to him, nodding excitedly with the widest grin. "Yeah, today was fun! It's been a while since I did anything remotely volleyball related, so seeing it being played with passionate players was really fun! And I even did manager things! I've never done manager things before!" She paused. Then, she pouted and fell against his chest once more. "Then again, I've never been in a club. I'm tired. Today was too fun."

Bokuto laughed and went back to drying her hair. "That's good! You did lots of receiving today too." His arms dropped suddenly to hug her securely, preventing her from escaping. "Speaking of which, you said something weird earlier. You said you can only receive now. Why's that?"

Tsubasa blinked and stiffened, just a bit, before she lifted her face and pouted. "How'd you remember that? You're not supposed to remember the little shit I say."

"It's been years! I'm not missing anything anymore!"

…ah. Her pout intensified and she sighed once more, relaxing against his muscly build. "You know I'm anemic."

"But it never got in the way when we were younger."

"The stress."

"Huh?"

"The stress and depression from the past few years have made it worse." Tsubasa lifted her face up. "Did you know that can happen?"

"Uh- yeah. I guess I didn't really think of that." _Because you're too good at faking it._

And her pout was suddenly ten times stronger as she sat up suddenly. "Hah?! How did you know that but I didn't?! I only learned that stress could do that a few years ago!"

"I-I studied more about anemia after you told us papa was in the hospital!" the male confessed, nearly pouting back childishly. The girl blinked. "I wanted to make sure you weren't sick like he was, and you were starting to get weird anyway, so I… wanted to do something. Why do you think I kept trying to feed you every day? That was the only way I knew to give you energy."

Tsubasa blinked rapidly. She leaned back just a bit, her brow twitching. "W-what? I didn't know you did all that! Why didn't you tell me, stupid?!" Ah. And she was suddenly pelting him with weak but consistent jabs to his body. "You're the immature one here! _I'm_ supposed to take care of _you_!"

Bokuto yelped and lurched over as he painfully cradled his sides, prompting his own damp hair to tickle the girl's chin. As playful as the interaction was supposed to be, both parties understood and felt the heaviness within their space, hanging above their heads and threatening to crash onto them at any given moment. Tsubasa frowned then, dropping her small, shaking fists against his back, and pressed her forehead against the nape of his neck. She exhaled a small, trembling breath.

"I'm tired."

It came out too softly. The simple statement was reminiscent of broken, yet dulled shards of a shattered picture frame. Bokuto sat up slowly, prompting the girl's now-uncurled fists to drop to his arms and weakly cling to the sleeves of his shirt. She pressed her hair against his chest as he brought his arms up around her. He continued drying her hair.

"I know."

And the girl was more or less asleep with the mutual understanding. Heavy eyelids falling and arms wrapping around the male tightly for the security she had been yearning for, Bokuto focused on drying up her hair as best as he could with the towel. Ten minutes later, he set it aside after brushing the long locks quickly, then went to repositioning his best friend so she wouldn't wake up with locks in her muscles.

He settled down beside her then, pulling the covers over them and holding her close enough to fight off the nightmares.

Outside the classroom right by the doors, Akaashi gently kicked off the wall as he figured enough was enough. He had no intentions of eavesdropping, especially on what seemed like a personal moment for the two, but his worry and concern ultimately controlled him in the end when he saw his captain hauling the girl through the school on his shoulder.

Silently, the teen strode off down the hall and continued on his way.

* * *

 **word count:** 8,850

 **author's note : hnnnnnn im so tired T_T. Well, like I said, updates are sure to be really really slow from here on out. I'm still gonna write this, 'cause stress relief and all that, so... yeah. If anyone wants to see anything specific in this, I guess shoot me a message? Idk I'm always open to suggestions and whatnot. Thanks for reading as always, I hope everyone takes care of themselves :D**

 **-glasses cloth**


	7. 7

**7 i know people change but all i want is for the innocence to stay**

 _Tetsurou stared down at his hand, which, at the moment, was balled up in the form of a losing rock. Both Tsubasa and Koutarou gave victorious cheers as they, Kenma included, held up their own victorious paper signs. It was a normal weekend for the grade-schoolers that was beginning to see its end; having finished up their vacation homework and spent the entire day outside playing volleyball, each one of them was sore and tuckered out as usual. Usually, however, they were sleeping over at Kenma's household since it was the quietest out of those four, but this time, they were lazing about in Tetsurou's bedroom. The boy groaned._

 _"So this… pillow thing works, how?" he grumbled out._

 _"Like… this!"_

 _It was hardly a proper answer. Tsubasa tackled the boy into the mounds of pillows and blankets they all had messily compiled onto the futons set up on his bedroom floor. While his face proceeded to flush out of the lack of space between them, the girl was laying her head atop his chest while her body laid away from his._

 _"O-oi!"_

 _"Me next!"_

 _Ah. Koutarou then proceeded to flop onto the fluffy mass and lay his head on the girl's lap so that their bodies formed some sort of U-like shape. He then patted the remaining space with a wide yawn and looked at Kenma expectantly._

 _"Eh… How am I supposed to fit in there…" the boy murmured._

 _Nonetheless, he crawled into the space and sat back on his heels so he could survey the situation. Tsubasa was already knocked out and Koutarou's eyelids had just fallen, while Tetsurou was huffing in annoyance. The messy-haired boy then looked to his own childhood friend, and he patted his stomach._

 _Kenma perked up and laid his head there, before pulling his legs up to drape them over Koutarou's waist. He and Tetsurou then closed their eyes, somehow at peace, and let sleep find them._

* * *

The two managers blinked rapidly at the scene before them. Limbs intricately tangled, clothes rustled and skin pressing against each other, and a grip as tight as iron, it was an eyesore for those who didn't understand. Yukie slapped a hand against Kaori's flushed face and shoved her out of the classroom quickly, before cautiously approaching the sleeping pair of teens. Carefully, the third-year knelt at Tsubasa's back and patted her shoulder lightly – which was hard to do since Bokuto's bulky arms caged the girl securely within his entire being.

"Tsu-chan," Yukie whispered, moving her hand to pat the younger girl's cheek instead. "Tsu-chan, up and at 'em. It's seven o' clock. We gotta get breakfast going."

The white-haired girl mumbled in her slumber, but ultimately, her eyelids fluttered open slowly. The classroom was illuminated for the most part by morning sunlight, but thanks to their position right beneath the window, none of it fell on their faces blindingly. Tsubasa shifted slightly and looked to Yukie from the corner of her eyes.

"Ah… senpai," she said in lieu of greeting. "Sorry… I'll be up in a minute."

"Okay. We'll get started so you can take a few minutes."

"Mm. Thank you."

Yukie nodded and trotted out of the classroom, grabbing Kaori by her shirt and forcing the two of them away from the scene. Tsubasa moaned and rubbed at her eyes, before blindly reaching for her glasses. Situating them on her face, she leaned on a surprisingly-sore arm and looked down to the weight holding her. She blinked slowly, endearingly at Bokuto's sleeping face.

 _What I wouldn't give to stay like this forever._

Carefully, as if her life depended on it, the girl reached behind her and found the large hands locked onto her sweater. She fitted her hands slowly into his and massaged his palms, prompting him to eventually release her clothes. Her smile broadened as she then moved Bokuto's arms to the space between them and held his hands in her lap. His eyelids fluttered.

"Mornin'," Tsubasa greeted, giving his hands a squeeze as his amber irises found her. _Just like when we were kids._ "Tired?"

Bokuto blinked slowly. Abruptly, his face split with a wide grin and squinting eyes, and he pulled the girl down suddenly into a hug. Tsubasa protested with a groan, but smiled nonetheless.

"You really are back," the male said into her shoulder. Tsubasa blinked, his grip tightening around her waist. "I thought I was dreaming."

Ah. Tsubasa laughed and hugged the male back strongly, nuzzling into his neck. She pressed her damp eyes into the soft fabric of his shirt.

"Yeah. Me too."

The silence was too warm to break. It had to be done however, and so, after a few more minutes of simply embracing each other in what seemed like a moment frozen in time, Tsubasa patted the male's arm and moved to stand. She then kicked him over onto his back and threw the blankets over him, telling him to go back to sleep as she trotted to her bag sitting atop one of the desks and magically maneuvered her bra on beneath her sweater. Bokuto, his amber irises peeking over the edge of the blanket, snickered.

"Tsubaka~ no need to wear a bra if there's nothing there~"

…ah. The girl chucked a thing of deodorant at his face.

"I am a C cup, for your information!"

"Ow!"

* * *

Tsubasa pulled at her ponytail and let it swish behind her before she rushed into the kitchen, blindly grabbing one of the aprons hanging off the handle. She smiled apologetically at her fellow managers.

"Sorry about that!" she said with a slight bow aimed towards the third-year while clumsily knotting the apron behind her. "Miso as usual?"

Yukie returned the grin and handed the girl a metal ladle. "Yup. The water's boiling right now and we already got the ingredients laid out for you."

"Okay, thank you. What else is for breakfast?"

"Hm~ Well, our sponsors blessed us with pounds of _salmon_ , so~" Yukie closed the lid of the giant bamboo rice cooker and patted Tsubasa's shoulder. "And then there's some vegetables and fruits, of course. But I'll handle the fish. Kaori, all of the dishes are clean, right?"

The first-year mumbled from her spot by the sink, but nodded anyway. Tsubasa blinked at her lack of proper response, before she trotted to her own position in the kitchen towards the back. Tightening the knot of her apron, Tsubasa reached for a container of dashi granules and poured some into the metal ladle. After adding it to the water, she looked to Kaori worriedly.

"Are you okay, Kaori?" she asked, innocently tilting her head. The first-year flinched slightly, but remained focused in cleaning the plates before her.

"Y-yeah. Just… First time sleeping at the school. Long night, and, yeah…"

"Ah, it's my first time too!" Tsubasa blinked then. She sheepishly turned to the tall pot in front of her. "Though, I guess it's different for me, huh…"

"How long have you known Bokuto, Tsu-chan?" Yukie suddenly asked, also joining Tsubasa in the back. A set of deep fryers sat beside the stoves. "I've kinda known him since junior high, but he's never really mentioned you, you know? Just a bit curious, is all."

Somehow, Tsubasa's heart thudded upon hearing that.

The second-year's arm stilled from stirring the contents of the pot. Slowly, she looked up to her right at her senpai and blinked at the curious maroon irises. A throbbing rooted deep within the hollow chambers of her small heart stole away all the breath the girl had, and very suddenly, it was hard to breathe. Yukie blinked.

"Tsu-chan?"

 _That's right._

"Are you okay?"

 _It's been seven years._

Tsubasa's eyelids fluttered rapidly and she nodded just as quickly. She gave some silly smile and knocked her fist against her own head playfully, bowing just a bit toward her senpai.

"Yeah, I'm okay!" _There are people aside from me, and Kenma and Tetsurou._ "That just took me by surprise. I didn't think you knew him that long." _Of course there are people aside from us. From me._

 _It's not just us two anymore._

Tsubasa, seeing the water coming to a full boil, lowered the heat down to a medium and reached for a package of miso paste. She shoved the depressive feeling down to her gut and ignored it. "Koutarou and I have known each other since infancy. Our fathers were best friends, and since we were just a year apart, we were raised together. Sleeping together and stuff like that is… kind of second nature. S-sorry you had to see it, though."

Yukie gave a genuinely interested hum, all while Kaori switched over to shining some glass. "Heh~ it's okay. But I didn't know that he had someone like you. Did you not go to the same junior high or something?"

"Ah, kinda…" Tsubasa quickly stirred the contents and after making sure the paste was properly dissolved, she put the cover on top and pulled a cutting board out from a drawer. Atop it, she laid out a few packages of tofu and cut it smoothly into small cubes. "My… um… My father died toward the end of our elementary years, and my mother's job was very demanding at the same time. I left on a worldwide trip because of her job for seven years, and um… Well, I'm back now, so…"

Ah. The third-year blinked before she moved to tend to the thawed packages of salmon. She cut them open slowly and slowly dropped them into the expectant oil. "Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"Ah- no, not at all!" Tsubasa chuckled at herself, removing the pot's lid and scooping the chunks of tofu into her hands. She dropped them carefully into the steaming mixture. "It happened a long time ago."

"S-seven years is a long time," Kaori then commented, albeit quietly. She set a clean glass atop a stack off to the side, before focusing once more on the plates. "B-but it's still kinda inappropriate to sleep together here. The teachers would be upset if they found out."

Tsubasa blinked. _Maybe it's just me._ Slowly, she dropped the rest of the tofu cubes into the soup. "That's true, isn't it?" _But it almost feels like…_ "Sorry. I'll be sure to sleep with you guys tonight." _Like she's telling me to back off._

Kaori transported a clean stack of plates to the serving counter without another word. Just as quietly, Yukie fished out the fried fillets of salmon and, after putting in uncooked ones, moved those to the heated serving trays. Quietly, Tsubasa moved to chop the green onions.

 _Feelings like that are so complicated._

When eight o' clock hit and the volleyball players were drowsily shuffling in, Tsubasa had transported the pot to the beginning of the serving counter and stood at the ready. A familiar face, now one out of many, was the first customer of the day.

"Morning, Tsubasa-chan~" Tendou greeted with a sleepy drawl, with Semi nodding respectfully beside him.

"Morning, Satori-san and Eita-san. You two sleep well?" Tsubasa asked politely as she filled both of their bowls with soup. Tendou shrugged as he set his bowl down on a tray, while Semi skipped ahead to the first serving tray filled with rice.

"It was an alright sleep," the setter said with a shrug.

"Only for you, Eita-kun~ You have the sleeping position of a monster. I can still still feel your foot in my back."

"Oops. Hurry up, you're holding up the line."

"Yes, yes~ Oh, one more thing!" Tendou grinned at Tsubasa, his eyes opening a bit wider as he threw rice into another bowl. "Tsubasa-chan, you should totally spend all day with us swans. We're leaving tomorrow morning, you know~"

Tsubasa's ears perked up at the information, and ultimately, she gave a small frown. "Oh, really? I guess you're going to a different school for the rest of Golden Week?"

"Yup, yup~ Nothing personal, but our aces are kinda personally acquainted, so… Well, I guess that makes it kinda personal."

The girl hummed. "Heh… I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do that, though."

Ah. Tendou immediately slid down the serving counter and stopped in front of Yukie, who begrudgingly set a fried salmon fillet down on his plate. "Say~ swans are gonna borrow Tsubasa-chan for today, alright?"

Yukie's eyes immediately narrowed. " _No_ -"

"Why not?" The three teens looked to Kaori as she spoke up suddenly from her spot beside Yukie, where she was fiddling with her phone nonchalantly. Tsubasa felt her heart ache once more. The first-year looked up. "Always switching between teams is a pain. We're just handing out water bottles and towels, so why not just save the trouble and stick with one team?"

Tsubasa stared silently at the first-year. Her irises were a neutral, slowly darkening shade of grey.

 _Really._

Yukie huffed and gave the softest glare at her younger friend. "The point of switching around is so that all three of us could see the different types of volleyball players and teams. Being a manager has more to do with just maintenance, Kaori."

The first-year yawned and stretched her arms high above her head. "Well we did that all day yesterday, right? Just let them have this since it's their last day."

Tendou's gaze switched quickly between the two girls, quietly chanting _'cat fight cat fight'_ beneath his breath. He stopped when Semi nudged his side. Yukie stared at the younger girl with hardened maroon irises, before she rolled her eyes and turning to Tsubasa, who was currently serving the swans' first-year ace in training, Goshiki Tsutomu. "Tsu-chan, you don't mind, do you?"

Tsubasa smiled immediately, shaking her head. "It's fine, it's fine! I don't mind at all."

Tendou immediately gave a cheer before skipping away from the serving counter happily. "Lucky, lucky~ See you in practice then, Tsubasa-chan~"

"Yup!"

 _Doing things, saying things, all just to please other people._

Yukie glowered at her childhood friend and nudged her harshly. _I know I wanted her to do something, but that's a bit mean._ "Go ahead and eat if you're just gonna laze around, jerk."

"Yeah, yeah…"

As Kaori went to tie up her yellow apron and leave the kitchen area, Tsubasa smiled at the next volleyball player, who just so happened to be Iwaizumi. Behind him, Oikawa yawned sleepily while Hanamaki hid behind a drowsy Matsukawa.

"Good morning, you four. Sleep well?"

 _Being nice, being polite, faking it to stay on everyone's good side._

"Yeah, thanks-"

Oikawa stumbled forward and pushed Iwaizumi aside, holding his bowl out impatiently.

"Tsubasa-chan, serve me first~"

"Oi! At least greet her properly, you rude shit!"

Ah. The girl chuckled, grinning crookedly. "Oikawa-san, please don't stir up trouble first thing in the morning." Regardless of her remark, the girl filled the captain's bowl before turning to the other three expectantly. The captain gave a lazy salute before continuing forward.

 _So that everything else can remain beneath the surface._

 _To drown._

 _And never be found._

Tsubasa's smile remained as bright and strong as ever, even as she served Kaori and the volleyball players to come.

 _Nothing has changed._

* * *

Lunchtime was quickly approaching. Akaashi looked away from the scoreboard as he and his team just barely topped Seijoh in the fifth practice match that morning. Owls had just started their first streak of the day, and their goal for the day was to beat Shiratorizawa's streak of five. Or, at the very least, have the swans' last game end in their loss. Regardless, a lack of white beside the owls was much too easy to notice.

"Hey… Tsubaka hasn't helped us at all today," Bokuto suddenly said, sitting on the bench with a huff and cradling his pouting face. Not too far and currently handing out bottles to Komi and Sarukui, Kaori stiffened just a bit.

Akaashi nodded, pulling his towel off his neck to dry his face. "Yes, I've noticed. She's been with Shiratorizawa all morning. But it's not just her. It seems Shirofuku-san has stuck with Seijoh all morning, while her friend has been with us. Perhaps they're doing things differently today."

"Heh?! S-so Tsubasa won't be helping us at all today?!"

"It seems like it. Though, I'm not entirely sure-"

"Oi, Tsubaka!" Ah. Of course. Bokuto stood from the bench and flailed his arms childishly as Shiratorizawa made their way towards Court A, prompting Akaashi to sigh softly. "Stop hanging out with those guys! I don't like it! Help us instead!"

Kaori immediately jerked on the spot, something Komi noticed with a blink. Tsubasa sweat-dropped and shook her head.

"Sorry! We're doing it like this today since it's tiring to switch around so much!"

"Eh?! B-but-"

"Bokuto-san, we're switching sides. Let's go."

"E-eh? _Eh_?! I-I don't wanna! Tsu- Tsubasa! _Tsubasaaaaa_!"

…ah. And the captain was crying the girl's name as Akaashi dragged him under the net, allowing Shiratorizawa to take their place. Tsubasa ignored the slight look Kaori shot her before turning to the swans, some of which stared at her questioningly. Tendou smiled as he stretched not too far from the bench.

"Heh~ It's nice seeing him like that."

Tsubasa immediately chucked a ball at him, something he received messily and sent rocketing behind him. The girl gave a smile that was too sweet to be considered genuinely sweet.

"Satori-san~ Don't forget he's my best friend, 'kay?"

"Okay~"

From Court B, Matsukawa hummed thoughtfully.

 _Would that count as physically abusive?_

The practice match kicked off as soon as the swans finished their warm-ups. Tsubasa could only avert her eyes uncomfortably as Bokuto stared after her longingly with large, owlish puppy eyes. He played as he normally did, however, and soon enough, the court was getting loud as the teams racked up their points. While Seijoh was occupied performing their own practices over in Court B, the practice match was beginning to see its end.

"Yosh, two block- oi!" Konoha jerked from is spot in the back of the court, his eyes narrowing at a certain first-year. "Onaga! Right in front of you!"

Ah. The sound of the volleyball making contact with his forearms was somehow awkward. Komi groaned and followed after the ball immediately.

"A-ah- sorry! Cover, please!"

"Again, Onaga?! Sheesh! Oi, Akaashi! Last! Get the game for us!"

"Yes!"

The ball bounced off of Komi's forearms and towards the expectant setter, who jumped in time with the ball's arch and swung his arm forward. On the other side of the net, a second-year by the name of Shirabu Kenjirou quickly elbowed the first-year at his side.

"Ready, and-"

The first-year jumped first, eagerly letting out some battle cry that prompted the second-year to growl. Shirabu leapt upwards as well in a rush to complete the block.

"You-"

From the sidelines, their demon coach stood and practically snapped a clipboard in half.

"Tsutomu, _for the love of_ -"

 _Smack!_

The ref whistled and signaled a point to Fukuroudani as Akaashi's spike bounced off of the unkempt block and onto Shiratorizawa's side. A quick cheer resounded from the owls as the scores updated to 14-16, with the win being in favor of the owls. Shiratorizawa's demon coach immediately went to roasting his first-year, prompting Tsubasa to ignore those two and tend to the other players. She patted Shirabu's shoulder comfortingly and handed him a water bottle.

 _"You were too early, Tsutomu! Wait for Kenjirou to complete his signal, dumbass! He counts off for a reason, idiot!"_

 _"I-I'm sorry! It's just- their setter doesn't spike often, so I was excited to block it! I'm sorry!"_

"Nice one, Akaashi," Komi commented, before turning quickly to glare at the owls' own first-year. "Oi, Onaga! You-"

Akaashi quickly settled a calming hand on the libero's shoulder before taking the lead. He walked up to Onaga and slapped his shoulder. "There's no point in deeming your long limbs an advantage if you don't use them, Onaga. It's okay for you to be clumsy at first. It's not like you'd knock us over if you ran into us, got it?"

"Y-yes! I-I'm sorry… I'll do better in the next match!"

"Oi Tendou!" The volleyball players looked to their captain as he pressed his face against the net and pulled at it, glaring harshly with narrowed amber irises at the red-haired teen. "Since we won, give us Tsubasa."

Ah. Tendou performed some obnoxious twirl on his tiptoes and lurched over, tilting his head sideways at an unnatural angle. "Eh? No way. We didn't agree upon that before the game. Why don't you set it up properly next time, Bokuto-kun?"

"Why you-"

"Bokuto-san." Akaashi quickly settled a calming hand on the captain's shoulder, pulling him away from the net slightly. "Calm down. You know you can hang out with her during the lunch break."

"But I want her to watch me play volleyball!"

"I'm sure Tsubasa-san is watching you even on the other side of the net."

Hearing this, Bokuto stilled. His face became blank and any childlike agitation was swept off of his expression. Abruptly, he beamed, and he bounced over to the girl with some bright, dopey grin.

"Is that right, Tsubasa?! Is it, is it?"

Tsubasa laughed and nodded, easily catching the male in a headlock so she could playfully ruffle his hair. "That's right! You look cool from this angle too, you cheeky bastard!" The girl then straightened the male up, holding his face and gently patting his cheeks. "But you don't look cool when you whine, so keep going strong, captain."

"Got it!"

And Bokuto was running back to his teammates, flailing his arms excitedly as he bragged about how cool he was. Kaori rushed to handing out water bottles and towels, but not before frowning at the close exchange between the two best friends. She sighed to herself then, proceeding to offer a bottle to Konoha. Akaashi, catching Tsubasa's gaze easily, nodded her way gratefully and noted the tactic she used in keeping the captain upbeat. Tsubasa returned the nod with her own smile before she turned to follow the rest of the swans switch to Court B.

The smile, he noticed, was smaller than what he was used to.

Before Akaashi could question it or reach out to her, he was dragged into some circle his captain had formed of him and his teammates. Bokuto, satisfied with the full circle of his teammates, grinned widely and propped his hands up onto his hips.

"Yosh! Take it away, Akaashi!"

Ah. The vice-captain sighed slightly. "Seijoh is a team that's quick to start," he began, his navy irises briefly flicking to their opponents. He forced any thoughts concerned with the white-haired girl down and away for the time being. "Just like with yesterday, don't let your guard down but remain calm. Oikawa-san's serves are intimidating, but it's not like they're impossible to receive. Same as with their spikes. Keep your cool and we'll be able to maintain our streak."

The owls responded with various words of confirmation. Tsubasa hummed with wonder as she watched from the corner of her eye while Tendou, with an arm slung casually around her shoulders, guided her to Court B; she figured Akaashi was an exceptional player if he was vice-captain in only his second year, but somehow seeing it in person was surreal. It was too natural of a sight, and the casualness of his leadership was hard to swallow. Bokuto smirked and lowered his water bottle, his lidded amber irises taking on an extra sheen.

"That's true, but don't forget," the captain said suddenly. He propped a hand on his hip, his expression somehow intensifying. His teammates blinked, shifting their gazes to him. "Shiratorizawa is leaving tomorrow morning to fight with Itachiyama. Both of those guys are mocking us. I don't want us to take Seijoh's matches lightly, but after lunch-" An electrifying chill ran through the air, and the captain's teammates went rigid. "-we're putting our all into breaking the swans' streak of five. We're gonna send them off to Itachiyama beaten, bruised, and _defeated_. Got that?"

And their eyes went alight with purpose. The lot of them nodded and yelled out a loud cheer of agreement, garnering attention from the entire gym. Tsubasa blinked rapidly and leaned back just a bit, surprised at the sudden changes in attitudes. Her eyes widened slowly as she watched her best friend proceed to push his teammates onto the court, encouraging them to warm up. Her grey irises glittered.

 _I figured that there was something about Koutarou if he was chosen to be the captain of this powerhouse,_ she thought to herself, her irises gradually growing lighter in color. _But I couldn't really imagine it. To think he really does have this sort of leadership trait… it's amazing. Just where and when did he learn that?_

Her eyes suddenly stopped glowing. Something thudded in her heart and she blinked slowly. Beside her, Tendou blinked and tilted his head.

 _It's not just us two anymore._

"Tsubasa-chan?" he chirped, bending over and leaning down to her face. She simply blinked at him, her vision readjusting to focus on his curious face instead.

And she smiled, laughing at herself and knocking a fist against her forehead.

 _What else have I missed over the years?_

* * *

"Yosh, finally!" Bokuto yelled as he spotted Yukie and Kaori wheeling over two carts of onigiri and another for a pot of miso soup.

Lunchtime had finally rolled around and the owls' three managers had prepared loads of onigiri and a steaming pot of miso soup. The volleyball players were all relaxing outside in the trimmed fields by the gym, caught together in casual and friendly chatter as a temporary truce was called between all three teams.

All of them except for one.

Bokuto stilled and blinked, tilting his head in confusion. "Huh? Where's Tsubasa?"

"Tsu-chan stayed back in the kitchen to wash up," Yukie answered while slapping Komi's wrist as he reached for a rice-ball.

Bokuto blinked slowly to himself as Yukie pulled Komi and Konoha over to help her in offering rice-balls to the other volleyball players. "Is that so…" He brightened abruptly. "I'll go help her!"

"S-senpai!"

Ah. Bokuto paused in his tracks as Kaori called out to him suddenly. The young girl, with her freckled face flushed in the sunlight, offered the male a separate paper plate of onigiri and a small bowl of soup with a trembling hand.

"Y-y-you've been working hard s-since this morning, so you… should eat first. An ace can't fight on an empty stomach, after all."

…ah. Bokuto's eyes widened and he gaped at the first-year in amazement. "Whoa! That's right! I can't let my guard down since Ushiwaka and that Iwa guy are here!" Standing and accepting the bowl of soup, Bokuto grinned widely and ruffled Kaori's hair. From afar, Akaashi watched silently as the heat on the girl's face intensified. "Nice catch, Suzumeda! Thanks for looking out for me! When'd you get here anyway?"

"R-rude! I-I've been here since yesterday!"

"Ah seriously? Speak up then!"

"I-I did…"

As Bokuto ran off to socialize with the other athletes, thus leaving Kaori to properly tend to her manager duties, Akaashi approached Yukie. The third-year offered him a plate of six rice-balls and winked.

"These are especially for you," Yukie said, smiling slightly. Akaashi blinked. "Tsu-chan made them. While Kaori made sure to kiss that guy's ass, Tsu-chan figured she'd do something similar."

Akaashi blinked slowly as he accepted the paper plate. His navy irises, just a bit more intense in the sunlight, traced the shape of the rice-balls; they were plump yet small, and it wasn't hard at all to figure they were that way due to the girl's small hands. Yukie grinned cheekily at the light blush upon his pale cheeks, before the male bowed politely to excuse himself. Wordlessly, he made his way to the cafeteria.

 _She didn't eat much for breakfast; just soup, rice, and an apple, I believe. If she's cleaning right now, then she probably hasn't had lunch._

The vice-captain pushed the cafeteria doors open with his leg, walking inside quickly. He winced just a bit at the sunlight brightly illuminating the cafeteria. He immediately noticed how the kitchen was dark.

"Tsubasa-san?" he called, approaching the serving counter and putting the plate down.

Akaashi squinted and peered into the gloomy kitchen. An island in the middle had some giant rack hanging above it from which hung pots, pans, and giant ladles, thus effectively obscuring his view. He spotted a river of white, however, in between the spaces near the back left corner of the kitchen, right where the sink would be. He perked up, once again calling her name.

"Tsubasa-san."

There was no reply. Both confused and slightly worried, Akaashi entered the kitchen from a door on the side. Stepping inside carefully, he made sure to keep his steps quiet as soon as he noticed how exactly the girl was standing. Her shoulders rose and fell slowly, she swayed just a bit on the spot, and her head was nodding off.

Ah.

 _She's sleeping._

Akaashi approached the girl with a head tilted curiously. Walking around the kitchen island and making his way slowly to the sink, his eyes took in more detail than necessary.

 _It's the same blue apron from yesterday and this morning. Navy sweatpants rolled up to her knees. Her hair is tied up in a free ponytail. Each intake of air causes her hair to shift, just a little bit, and it reflects the light from the counter. A grey sweater-_

 _A sweater?_

She was wearing a sweater. Long-sleeved. Not rolled up. One bit. Akaashi's eyes narrowed slightly. He spotted her small hands poking out from the sleeves, one hand loosely clutching the rice bowl while the other barely held onto a sponge.

He frowned. _She'll get her clothes wet like that._

Finally making it to her side, Akaashi bent forward the slightest bit to cautiously peer at her face. She was indeed asleep. Warmth rose to his cheeks as he took in the details of her snow-like eyelashes brushing against the tanned skin of her cheeks. White bangs that were messy from the day's labor fell over the right of her forehead, tickling her dreaming eyelids. Akaashi averted his gaze while he was still able to.

 _She's sleeping. Did she not get much sleep last night? Perhaps Bokuto-san's snoring kept her up._

His eyes rested on her sleeves, the ends already somewhat wet. He stretched his hands out to carefully roll them up, first starting with her right arm.

 _No. That's not right. I'm sure if it's Bokuto-san, then any night she spends with him will always be peaceful for her._

Satisfied with the right sleeve now tucked up to her elbow, he moved to adjust the left sleeve.

 _Something must have happened._

And he froze.

There were lines on her forearm.

His eyes widened.

 _Scars._

The details were impossible to ignore even in the darkness. With the sleeve rolled up to her elbow, he could see a collection of smaller, shorter lines marking the inside of said joint. Those lines, those scars were darker and fainter, and they didn't bulge from her skin. They were smooth. Soft. Ironically so. Towards the middle of her forearm, right between her elbow and wrist, was small collection of larger lines. Three at most. These lines were lighter, a milky sort of color, and they had texture. They were rigged. They disrupted the smoothness of her normal skin.

And they were long. Akaashi found the smaller, smooth brown scars beneath those milky ones, and the longer he stared, the more he found covering nearly the entirety of her forearm. With his hands still gripping her sleeve, his mind raced over the information. His thoughts tripped over the questions he had for the girl, the questions he had for himself, and the inner conflict of what to do.

 _I can't just ask about something personal like this,_ was the basis of his thoughts. _I should roll her sleeves back down._ He kept the sleeves rolled back. _She obviously had them like that in the first place because of these scars. But then should I just walk away? Pretend I didn't see anything?_

 _That's the same thing as abandonment._

A drop of water fell within his periphery. Akaashi lifted his gaze to the girl's face. His eyes shone brightly.

 _Ah._

 _She's crying._

She was still asleep. Even as his hands shifted down to caress the smooth and ridged scars of her arm so that he – a boy she had only met a few weeks ago – could take one of her most precious secrets into his own hands, she was still asleep. Even as he lifted one of those hands to her pretty face to catch another secret falling from her closed eyes, she was still asleep.

Even as she cried silently, without a hiccup or a whine or a whimper, to a boy she was neither aware of or longing for at the moment, she was still asleep.

The blue of his eyes intensified, and he wiped at the quiet tears with his thumb while the digits of his other fingers brushed against the warmth of her cheek.

 _She must have been abandoned._

Tsubasa's eyelashes, long and beautifully white, fluttered open slowly. She immediately welcomed the cozy, nostalgic warmth all around her, and when her blurry vision found intense blue eyes staring into her through the darkness, she blinked slowly. Akaashi, noticing a tear getting caught in her eyelash, caught it easily on his index finger. Tsubasa blinked once more as he held the tear between them. She felt a thumb gently stroking her scars.

"It's okay," the vice-captain said, holding her gaze purposely. "I know how to treasure a secret."

Tsubasa's eyes widened as she blinked rapidly, finally noticing how her sleeves were rolled up. Akaashi removed his hands from her at that moment and stood up straight, watching as she stuttered on the spot and flickered her gaze everywhere, just to avoid looking at him. His eyes hooded and his cheeks warm, he patted the girl's head.

"Thank you for the onigiri. But I can't eat it all by myself, so please finish washing the rice cooker so that we can have lunch together."

The girl nodded simply. Akaashi, after leaving the kitchen, chose a table right by the windows where sunlight streamed in. He waited patiently with the six onigiri and their odd shapes, and when the girl hesitantly approached the table while pulling at her large sweater, he simply patted the seat next to him. When she sat, he slid the paper plate between them and took one of the rice-balls. She took one as well and consumed it slowly.

"That's a lie," she said suddenly, her voice small and soft. "Six rice-balls would be no problem for you."

"Not when they're made by someone who starves themselves."

…ah. Tsubasa swallowed the remains of the first ball and reached for the plate once more. "Oh."

And that was enough.

With their second onigiri, both of their shoulders were loosening up and relaxing in a way few had seen, and with the third one, they were both seated a bit closer than usual with the sun at their backs.

* * *

It was the last match of the day. Owls and swans faced off against one another in a set that was uncannily similar to the very first practice match of the entire training camp; as the matches were supposed to only go up to 16 points, both teams were going well into their twenties and soon they were approaching the thirties. Seijoh, a team that had been beaten numerous times in the past by Shiratorizawa, could only watch from Court B with bitter awe as they witnessed the swans' struggle.

" _Three blockers!"_

" _Bokuto-san!"_

" _Don't let their ace through, Wakatoshi!"_

Oikawa dug his nails into the volleyball between his hands as he listened to the demands and commands sounding from Court A. Night had already fallen and his team was just about finished with their own drills and practices. As such, those of Aoba-Jousai were either standing around hydrating themselves or getting in some last stretches before dinner. Either way, they were all listening and watching from the corner of their eyes. Some thundering slam sent the gym shaking. A whistle sounded and while the swans cursed, the owls cheered.

 _25-26._

 _"Nice kill, ace!"_

 _"Let's get the game, Bokuto-san!"_

 _"Osu!"_

Iwaizumi, as frustrated as he was himself, kept a watchful eye on his best friend. Seeing the crescent moons the captain carved into the leather of the volleyball. Unable to say anything, the ace slapped his palm against the captain's back, and settled it onto his shoulder in silent comfort. Ever so slightly, Oikawa's vice-like grip relaxed. He tensed once more as the swans served and the orders were once again dished out.

 _"Komiyan!"_

 _"Got it! Akaashi, Bokuto, do it!"_

 _"Captain!"_

 _"Alright!"_

It was beyond excruciating. Iwaizumi slapped the ball out of Oikawa's hands and told the captain to stretch, something Oikawa did silently. The pain only seemed to intensify as they turned their backs to the game.

 _What are we doing we wrong?_

The gym exploded with the final thunderous slam of the night. Multitudes of eyes watched as the volleyball burst through a hole in the swan's defense. When Bokuto landed with the slightest stumble, the volleyball was already distorting its figure against the swans' side of the court and ricocheting towards the back. A whistle sounded and the scores updated.

 _25-27._

The owls immediately turned to one another, yelling victoriously as they went around slapping each other on the back. Kaori jumped excitedly from her spot and immediately moved to give the captain his water bottle and towel first, before moving to assist everyone else. Coach Yuuto broke his clipboard in half as he too cried out excitedly, before pointing a bragging finger at Shiratorizawa's demon coach and laughing haughtily.

"How's that for a victory count, you demon swan?!"

"Gr! It's just a practice match, you stupid owl!"

"Hoot hoot, bastard!"

Ah. Tsubasa grinned widely from her spot beside Shiratorizawa's assistant coach. Watching her best friend celebrate with beloved teammates, the girl felt her internal despair lessen just a bit. Her eyes, a sorrowfully beautiful neutral gray, softened at the sight and she breathed the smallest sigh.

 _It's not just us two anymore. But being able to see him smile like this is more than enough._

 _This is alright._

With that in mind, Tsubasa smiled and nodded herself, before she stood and clapped to catch the swans' attention. Grinning gently, she held out two bottles welcomingly.

"Good work, everyone," she said warmly.

Tendou gave some whine before he sighed in defeat, letting his arms hang as he lurched forward and walked to the girl. The remaining swans gave their own noises of frustration before following the red-haired player's lead, striding towards the girl as she continued to offer water bottles and towels. Amidst their transition to the court's sidelines, the copper irises of Shirabu briefly caught the navy ones of Akaashi through the net. Their gazes hardened at each other for the smallest second before they continued going their separate ways. Shirabu tutted to himself as he slung his towel around his neck.

 _Coach put me in more games than Semi-san to see how I would do. This was supposed to be my time to show I was qualified to be the main setter._

 _If Semi-san had been playing, we wouldn't be leaving like this._

"Oi. What stupid thoughts are you thinking, punk?"

…ah. Shirabu looked up in alarm, just as Tsubasa slung a towel around his neck and pushed a bottle into his hand while Semi marched to his side. After the second-year stuttered out a thank you to the girl, who smiled sweetly and went to tend to the others, he looked to his senpai hesitantly.

"I-I don't think stupid thoughts. I'm not a punk either."

"Yeah, sure. It was just a practice match, don't think too much about it."

Shirabu immediately jerked in protest. "But they beat us three times in a row! Why-"

Semi cut him off with a slap to the back of his head. "We tried a lot of new formations with this. Not only that, but we've got that new kid-" Semi pointed to the first-year starter not too far from them, Goshiki, with a deadpan. "-stumblin' all over the place. Owls just had a better setup this time around. Get over yourself."

"B-but…"

A vein of annoyance throbbed along the third-year's neck. He jabbed Shirabu's side. "Shut it, would ya? Learn to accept the wise words of your senpai, you stuck up brat!"

"I'm not- yes…"

"Why?" Everyone looked back to the court as Ushijima spoke up suddenly. He stood right before the net with a hand tightly locked around a water bottle, effectively denting it as he stared intensely at Bokuto and his celebrating teammates. The opposing owl ace jutted a lip out.

"Why what?"

"Before you would struggle keeping up the scores, and every point you missed would drag you into some sort of depression." Ushijima's eyes narrowed. "Why did that not happen this time around?"

Komi growled and stomped forward, tossing aside his towel. " _Oi_ -"

Akaashi held him back. "Calm down, Komi-san."

Bokuto held Ushijima's intense gaze for a silent minute, before his own serious face broke with a smirk and his eyes lit up. "Because she said I looked cool even on that side of the net."

Kaori's eyes widened and she stilled on the spot. Confused, Ushijima could only blink and cock his head to the side, while the remaining volleyball players looked to the girl in question. Tsubasa blinked stupidly and looked to Bokuto as well. When their eyes met, his grin became wide and toothy and he threw her a thumbs-up. The girl, finding too much relief and joy in the gesture, smiled gently and laughed to herself. She returned the thumbs-up with a bright grin.

 _Yeah. This is alright._

* * *

"It was amazing, Tobi-kun! He was like _whoosh_ and _bam_ and _guwah_! We all had dinner late because that match went on for so long!" Tsubasa gushed excitedly over the phone.

It was ten in the evening and the white-haired girl was by herself catching up with her younger brother. Dinner went by quickly after all the volleyball players had showered. Tsubasa spent it as usual with Bokuto and Akaashi, but the obvious discomfort from a certain kouhai had her hesitating to sit as close to her best friend as she did the first day. With that being said, she made sure to get Bokuto to sleep with his teammates for the night, something she did by saying he needed to properly end the victorious day by resting with them instead.

(Which, the excuse _worked_ , but it worked a little too easily for the girl's taste.)

She sat at the midway point of the staircase from the second-year hall (where the volleyball players were located) to the third-year hall (where the managers slept) with her back to the moonlight. She was watching whatever small bit of the second-year hallway she could see, unconsciously looking out for a specific setter, and just a bit, her scars tingled warmly within her sweater.

He was the first outsider to see them. Even Bokuto and the other two childhood friends had yet to even be aware of her old coping mechanisms, and although it hurt _just a bit_ to hide it from those three, it somehow didn't hurt at all knowing that Akaashi knew. A type of glaze fell away from the girl's irises as her eyes softened, and in that brief second, the pure exhaustion and fatigue from the past few years showed through her light grey irises. Over the phone, her younger brother hummed.

 _"Really? T-that's amazing. Nee-san, you said he's one of the top five aces in the nation, right?"_

"Yup~ I'm so proud~"

 _"That's a bit expected then. Still, I didn't know your school had something scheduled with Shiratorizawa."_

Ah. Tsubasa snickered, leaning her chin into her palm. "I thought you would be upset if I mentioned them since you failed their entrance exam miserably, so I kept quiet about it."

 _"G-geh! I- I didn't fail miserably!"_

"Considering everything I did in order to get you to pass that test, I'd say you failed miserably. Remember how I took the exam myself just to see what you'd be up against?"

 _"_ … _well… T-that's not the point!"_ Tsubasa laughed happily as she listened to her younger brother grumble, before he continued their conversation. _"A-anyway! Y-you said there's another school from Miyagi, right? What is it? I'm curious now."_

"Geh." Tsubasa hummed and leaned back onto a single palm at the thought of the other school. "I can never remember their name because they have, like, two friggin' names, and I don't know which one is the nickname. It's super confusing. They're a powerhouse too though, so maybe you know them? Do you know the school that's always been fighting with Shiratorizawa?"

 _"_ … _heh? With Shiratorizawa?"_

"Yeah. It's like… Sei… hoe? Seihoe? Sei-"

"How cruel, Tsubasa-chan! How come you don't know our name even though you've been so nice and friendly?"

Tsubasa blinked and looked down the staircase. She smiled slightly at the sight of four familiar volleyball players, one of them grinning up at her casually. By the looks of it, the lot of them were returning from a nighttime walk right before bed.

"What's that supposed to mean, Oikawa-san? Do I need a reason to be nice and friendly?"

 _"_ … _what? Nee-san- did you just-"_

Before Oikawa could reply, Iwaizumi slapped the back of his head and pushed him forward. "She's talking to someone, you shitty guy. Quit being so rude to her, dumbass."

"Ow! Stop pushing, Iwa-chan!"

Iwaizumi kicked the frivolous male ahead before he nodded at Tsubasa. "Sorry about that. He's always being some rude jackass to you, so sorry."

The girl waved a hand and smiled. "It's fine. I'm sure you have it worse, Iwaizumi-san. Sleep well, you four. Good work today!"

 _"I-Iwaizumi-san?!"_

"Yeah, thanks, and you too."

Ah. Matsukawa gave a lax wave while Hanamaki simply nodded. "'Night, Tsubasa-san."

 _"Wait wait wait nee-san did you- did you say Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san?!"_

Tsubasa blinked as she gave one last and distracted wave to the four Seijoh third-years, who just began to disappear from her sight. "Yeah, why? Captain and vice-captain of… Seijoh! That's it! Ha!"

 _"_ … _S-Seijoh?"_

"Yup. That's the other school. Look at me remembering stuff!"

 _"_ …"

The girl blinked once more. "Tobi-kun? What's wrong?"

 _"…n-nothing…"_

Tsubasa's eyes narrowed and she propped a hand against her hip as her big sister instincts sounded alarms in her mind. "Kageyama Tobio, what are you hiding from me? You're being weird-"

" _Kageyama Tobio_?!"

Tsubasa yelped in surprise as both Oikawa and Iwaizumi suddenly came running back to her. They skidded to a rough halt at the foot of the staircase and stared up at her with wide, bulging eyes, while from the side, Matsukawa and Hanamaki quirked their eyebrows at them. Tsubasa blinked slowly.

"Just now-" Oikawa stuttered out, pointing a finger. "Y-you said Kageyama Tobio?!"

"Yeah…" she confirmed hesitantly. "It's my little brother's name."

Ah. Their exclamations echoed down the hallway.

" _What_?!"

Tsubasa frowned slightly to herself and stroked her chin thoughtfully. _Wait. They're from Miyagi. So is Tobi-kun. Maybe they know of him?_

 _"N-nee-san, please put me on speaker!"_

"Tsubasa-chan, put your phone on speaker!"

Tsubasa blinked rapidly and stuttered. "U-um- okay?" Doing so without another word, Tsubasa held her phone away from her face and made sure to turn the volume up. Her phone screen, now on display for the Seijoh starters, depicted the picture of some unsuspecting black-haired boy sipping a milk carton.

 _"O-Oikawa-san?!"_

" _Tobio-chan_!"

…ah. Tsubasa's eyes widened in surprise as her phone slipped form her hand.

 _Eh?_

* * *

Komi and his fellow teammates sweat-dropped at the scene before them: while their blonde coach was viciously shaking hands with Shiratorizawa's head and assistant coach, their own captain seemed to be having his own feud. Bokuto's veins popped along his forearm as he gripped Ushijima's hand tightly, giving a firm shake as the two practically glared at each other.

"Tell Itachiyama we said hi," Bokuto said through some savage toothy smirk. "Also tell Sakusa about how you guys lost, alright?"

Ah. Ushijima's grip tightened and his eyes narrowed. "Beating us does not mean you'll beat Itachiyama. In the end, they're still stronger. You'll lose to them in the Interhigh."

"We'll see about that, bastard!"

And their grips released. Akaashi shook hands with the swans' vice-captain, a plain-looking third-year by the name of Soekawa Jin, and nodded simply. When their handshake broke, Akaashi once again caught Shirabu's coppery irises glaring into him while he pursed his lips. Shirabu clenched a hand and turned away.

 _So what if you're vice-captain in just your second-year? That doesn't make you the better setter!_

Oikawa and his team were up as well to see the swans off, and as part of customs, he too shook hands with Ushijima while Iwaizumi followed up similarly. While the rest of Fukuroudani went to shaking hands with the other players in their respective position (almost all of the owls did this with proud and somewhat-haughty smirks), Tendou was trotting up to Tsubasa with his lips pursed as usual. The girl, who was more or less lacking in energy, blinked drowsily as Tendou came into her blurry vision.

"I guess this is goodbye, Tsubasa-chan," he said first. He blinked then, cocking his head at the bags beneath the girl's eyes. "Oya? That looks bad. Rough night?"

Tsubasa stammered uselessly on the spot for a good minute, before she nodded simply and planted her forehead in her palm. From the corner of her eye, her gaze caught that of Oikawa's and the two turned away from each other with a click of their tongues.

"N-never mind that… Um- have fun with the rest of Golden Week!" Tsubasa said, smiling as best as she could despite her fatigue. "We exchanged numbers, right?"

"Of course~ I'll be sure to tell you how Eita-kun and I handle everything~"

"Tch, yeah right." Ah. Semi playfully shoved Tendou aside before pulling his phone out coolly. "That guy isn't reliable for anything. You don't mind, do you?"

Tsubasa laughed and rubbed at the sleepy tears in her eyes. She pulled her phone out of her pocket with her other hand, and in the process, her glasses cloth fell out and onto the ground. Curiously, Tendou picked up the dainty white cloth and held it in his hands as if it were some small animal. "Not at all! You guys are cool; I wanna keep in touch."

 _"We came all this way to Tokyo and we didn't get much screen time," Tendou murmured while staring down at the glasses cloth._

"We're cool, huh? Appreciated. Let's see if you can hold onto that after we spam you with memes."

Ah. Tsubasa smirked. "Memes, huh? That's still cool. Only send the ones you'd rank a four out of twenty."

"Ha! Of course, of course."

 _Tendou held the glasses cloth by a flimsy corner and let it flutter in the breeze. "I hope our screen time is made up for in omake chapters. There was so much attention on those Seijoh hoes. Why include us beautiful swans at all?"_

Tsubasa smiled as Ushijima soon approached their small group. "Wakatoshi-san~ have fun with the rest of your training camp."

Ushijima nodded simply as he stared down at the small girl. "Next time, we won't leave in a loss like this," he said, his deep voice making his words seem much more threatening than intended (which was troubling since he wasn't actually threatening her in the first place). He then blinked blankly. "Also, next time, I would like for you to explain what exactly Bokuto meant."

"Ah. Of course. I'm sure I'll have an answer whenever you guys return, so look forward to it!"

"Yes. Thank you."

A sudden gust of wind blew through the area. Tendou yipped as the girl's glasses cloth went flying to the other side of Tokyo. He turned to Tsubasa and bowed his head apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Tsubasa-chan. Your glasses cloth is now on the other side of the rainbow."

The girl blinked. "E-eh? Ah- it's fine, I guess…"

At that moment, Shiratorizawa's demon coach called for his swans to get their asses onto the bus. Tsubasa sent the three volleyball swans off with a hug, before she joined Fukuroudani and Seijoh in waving after the bus as it made it departure. She stood between Bokuto and Akaashi, the former who was more or less annoyed at the hugs she'd given out, while the latter was wondering if hugs were supposed to be so easy to give out (and if first-name basis was also something easily achieved). As the bus finally faded from their sights and the volleyball players were heading inside for breakfast, Tsubasa sighed slightly and lagged behind the owl group.

The group that walked beside them, being Seijoh and their coaches, had their captain lagging behind as well. Their gazes tangled with each other's once more, and simultaneously, they looked away with the smallest tut and thought to themselves:

 _I thought the problems would end once the swans left._

…ah. Tsubasa sighed once more to herself, tiredly, and pinched the bridge of her nose.

 _This… This is alright. It's not a big deal._

With a determined huff, Tsubasa trotted up to the front of the group and after the smallest moment of contemplation, she joined Akaashi's side rather than Bokuto's, who was still boasting about last night's victory. Akaashi looked to her briefly before gazing ahead once more. His thumb, the one he'd used to caress her scars, tingled slightly.

 _This is alright._

* * *

 **word count: 9,438**

 **ha it is 3:17 AM author's note:**

 **alright, so let's be serious first.**

 **I am in the path of Hurricane Irma. As a poor college student who has to get around by bike, I didn't exactly have the choice to leave town (which is how this chapter got done; I had to finish all my work early since my teachers are assholes and didn't extend the deadlines so I actually had some free time lol). FLORIDA SUCKS GUYS NEVER EVER COME HERE EVER. But anyway, the hurricane should *only* be a Cat 3 by the time it gets to my city, so I'm sure I'll be fine. For whoever is also stuck in Florida or is living anywhere that is susceptible to the threat of a severe hurricane, please be careful and please be safe and leave if you can. And if you can't leave, then at least get together with your friends or your family. I've only got my dog and all these alerts are horrifying.**

 **But anyway that's that. I'm really shook to see people actually following this and getting an alert for a new follower has literally been the highlight of my days! It's so... I-it's so nice *cries*. But I have to apologize. It's almost 3:30 in the morning and I'm really tired, so there's probably lots of typos in this. Sorry 'bout that. I really really really wanted to post something before the hurricane hit my city so I got this puppy done. There are some parts I definitely wanna revise so if next week you reread this chapter and see that some things are different, just know that's me trying to be a good writer lol.**

 **BUT FOR REAL. THANK YOU. _Thank you._ ****Seriously, you really don't know what it means to me to have followers on this. Whether it's a follow or a favorite or a review, each and every single one is more impactful than you will ever know.**

 **Anyway, I'm probably gonna be up all night because I'm... terrified, but once again, everyone please be safe and careful. Take care of yourselves, don't pull all-nighters like me, and once again and forevermore, thank you for reading :)**

 **-glasses cloth (9/10/17, 3:37 AM)**


	8. 8

**8 all i want is to be with you after all this time**

" _So? Have you talked to her at all?"_

 _The junior high kid looked up from his bowl of rice as he just finished emptying it. Sitting across from him and waiting expectantly for an answer was a woman owning to long black locks, tied at the base of her neck and tickling the middle of her back. Her eyes, a calming greyish-blue, watched her son closely. The boy averted his gaze, setting down his bowl._

" _I… I-I say hi in the mornings. And, um… I say goodnight… to her door."_

" _Tobio."_

" _Y-yes?"_

 _The woman sighed softly after holding her son's gaze for the briefest moment. She then stood and held her hand out for the empty bowl. "You didn't have to force yourself, you know. If her being here is going to make you uncomfortable, then we can send her somewhere else. The name change isn't official yet."_

" _B-but! If… t-there's no other place for her, it's fine for now." Kageyama Tobio handed his mother the bowl and sat patiently. He eyed the glass of milk in front of him. "I… I don't wanna be the reason for someone's loneliness. A-and it's not like… I'm uncomfortable, or anything like that. I just don't- don't know how to… talk to her. I don't know what girls talk about."_

" _Hm…" Kageyama Azumi hummed thoughtfully. She set the second serving of rice in front of her son and smiled softly as he went to pick at it eagerly. Her grin broadened slightly. "You know, she seemed interested the other day when I mentioned you play volleyball. She even asked what position you play."_

 _Ah. The boy immediately choked on his rice. He turned to his mother quickly. "R-really?!"_

" _Really! Go ask her yourself!" Azumi grabbed her son's face before he left, squeezing his cheeks. "And call her big sister. It'll make her happy, probably."_

" _O-okay!"_

 _Tobio rushed out of his seat and yelled a hasty thanks to his mother, before navigating his house and darting through the living room and entering some corridor. He knocked on a door near the end of the hall and threw it open, prompting the girl inside to jump in surprise. Tsubasa, with completely black irises and long white hair that cascaded down her back freely, blinked slowly from her seat by the window. Tobio blinked back._

" _Um- y-y-you like volleyball, o-onee-san?!"_

 _The girl blinked slowly at the random question, and just as slowly, she nodded._

* * *

 _This is not alright._

Iwaizumi, alongside Hanamaki and Matsukawa, stood and watched with twitching eyebrows from a safe distance of at least ten feet. In front of them at the serving counter of the cafeteria, Tsubasa was at the beginning as usual pouring miso soup for the volleyball players, and as nice as a sight it was, the sweetness of her smile was unnerving. At current, Oikawa was standing before her with a bowl stretched out expectantly in his hand.

"Try not to scoop up too much of the green onions, okay, Tsubaka-chan~? They're just as bad as a certain kouhai of mine~" Oikawa said, brandishing his own sickly-sweet grin as he lifted the bowl to her face.

Tsubasa laid her free hand over his and forcefully lowered the bowl, before purposefully scooping up a majority of the green onions in the soup and pouring it slowly. "You'll get weak if you don't eat your vegetables and it'd be a shame to be beaten by your kouhai aka my little brother, so here you go, Shittykawa-san~"

Ah. The bowl cracked and prompted the soup to hiss out of it in streams as Oikawa's grip tightened around it. "Ah, I see~! Thanks for looking out for me, _onee-chan_!"

Tsubasa's own grip tightened around his hand, effectively causing more miso soup to leak out and onto the serving counter. "Of course, _senpai_! Since you didn't know something as simple as this, how about I look after you and your team for the whole day today? I wouldn't mind at all!"

The bowl shattered in his palm. "Aw, but I _would_ mind, so denied! You're too cute to be a spy for the dictator, so just stick to your dumb owls and the trashcans you come from, okay? It suits you much better."

The girl bent the ladle she had in her other hand. "Anything for the overthrown king!"

…ah. And the two of them pried their eyes open despite their wide, twitching grins to glower at each other condescendingly. Iwaizumi and the rest stiffened as the temperature of the cafeteria dropped below zero.

 _This is not alright!_

* * *

 **Last night, approximately 10:15 PM.**

"Y-you know each other?" Tsubasa stuttered out as she reached for her phone, dusting it off and standing shakily. Over the phone, her younger brother, also known as Kageyama Tobio, stammered stupidly. "T-that's… a surprise. Um… former teammates, I'm guessing?"

While Oikawa stood there, rooted on the spot and stunned to silence, Iwaizumi nodded despite his own shock. He cleared his throat roughly and awkwardly scratched at the back of his head.

"Er- yeah. Same junior high school. We were third-years while Kageyama was just a first-"

"Tsubasa-chan."

Ah. The girl stiffened as Oikawa stepped the stairs quickly and loomed over her, despite her being a few steps higher. She clutched her phone to her chest and leaned back in discomfort.

"Y-yes?"

"Don't take offense to this," Oikawa said, his eyes narrowing in scrutiny, "but you look _nothing_ like Tobio."

…ah. A vein popped along her neck and she grabbed the collar of his shirt roughly. Oikawa yelped in surprise as the girl yanked him down to her height. "His family adopted me and saved my life, _thank you very much_."

The Seijoh starters blinked at that in surprise while the captain raised his hands to surrender. "O-okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Let go!"

Tsubasa released his shirt with a huff, but smiled anyway. "Tobi-kun, was this guy a good senpai? How come I'm just now hearing about him, hm?"

" _E-eh?! Ah- um- I-I_ have _told you about him, I just… didn't tell you his name."_

Tsubasa blinked rapidly in surprise while Oikawa simply jutted out his lip and narrowed his eyes. Confused, the girl tilted her head up at him. Her eyes squinted harshly behind her round glasses frames.

"You have? I don't really…" Tsubasa's eyes widened suddenly. She stood on her tiptoes and leaned up to Oikawa's face, stroking her chin thoughtfully. Stubbornly, the male crossed his arms.

"What?" he huffed.

"Tobi-kun, is he-" Tsubasa sat back on her heels and glanced down at her phone. "Is he the shitty senpai you told me about who bullies you?!"

Ah. Oikawa immediately jerked on the spot, pushing his face closer to the girl's phone. "I don't bully him! What sorts of things did you tell her, Tobio-chan?!"

Tsubasa slapped a palm against his cheek in order to shove him out of her personal space. "Is this him, Tobi-kun?!"

From the sidelines, Iwaizumi pressed a hand to his pursed lips and hummed. _I've got a bad feeling about this._ Beside him, Matsukawa and Hanamaki watched with interest while keeping the bet in mind.

"… _nee-san, I-I didn't tell you his name for a reason."_

"Oh, so it is!" Oikawa stifled a yelp as the girl was once again pulling him by the collar of his shirt. Iwaizumi's eyes widened and he stiffened. "Tobi-kun, I'll call you later, alright?!"

" _E-eh?! N-nee-san, d-don't-"_

 _Click._

Tsubasa flippantly tossed her phone behind her and gripped Oikawa's shirt with both hands. "Hello Shittykawa-senpai-san, I'm the older sister of the King of the Court, _how do you do_?"

Matsukawa grabbed Iwaizumi's shoulder before he could intervene. "Wait. I wanna see what happens."

"What do you think's gonna happen?!"

Oikawa gripped the girl's wrists and smirked back haughtily. "Tsubasa-chan~ I don't know what that guy told you about me, but _I'm_ not the bully! You know he's not _that_ kind of king, right?"

Tsubasa pulled on her own shit-eating grin as some shadow fell across her face. "I'm well aware he's not that kind of king, but that guy is my little brother first before anything." The girl averted her gaze then, muttering beneath her breath, "I knew you pissed me off for some reason."

"What?!" Oikawa steadied himself and towered over the girl. He pried her hands off of him and stretched them high above her head. "Well whatever. I never thought you were that cute anyway! How unexpected of the adorable dictator's older sister!"

The girl struggled against the male's strength, still grinning despite the glower in her eyes. "Good! I don't want a disgusting guy like you thinking I'm cute anyway!"

"Ah, so I'm disgusting because I'm just that much better than Tobio-chan, huh?! I see, I see! It's okay to be blinded by your jealousy, Tsubaka-chan! I'm sure one day Tobio-chan will be just as good as me!"

"Tobi-kun is gonna kick your ass in the upcoming tournaments now that he's got a good, _reliable_ senpai!"

"I was plenty reliable for reminding him what he is!"

"You mean a sweet little boy who's socially inept?! Thanks for that, Shittykawa-senpai-san!"

"Oh, you're very welcome! Stupid prodigal setters like him who don't need time to hone their skills aren't welcome on this stage!"

"Well neither are shitty senpais who get super petty when someone bests them at their own game!"

…ah. And the two of them were growling at each other while butting heads. Matsukawa released his hold on Iwaizumi and gave the vice-captain a pat on the back, before nudging Hanamaki inquiringly.

"You know," the tall, broad male said as Iwaizumi went to separating the two, "I think I should be an optimist every now and then."

Hanamaki grinned crookedly at his best friend. "Is the bet the only thing on your mind?"

" _Yes_."

"Oi, we're leaving!" Iwaizumi pushed those two ahead while dragging Oikawa behind him, the captain who was sticking his tongue out and pulling on his lower eyelid mockingly. Almost awkwardly, Iwaizumi nodded over his shoulder at the girl. "S-sorry good night!"

Tsubasa huffed and spun on her heel to storm up the staircase, swiping her phone off the ground on the way up.

"Good night!"

* * *

 **Present time.**

None of it was alright. All throughout the day whenever an opportunity to politely harass the other turned up, it was taken and abused and spectated by people who hardly understood. Aside from the encounter during breakfast, many more followed: there was _accidentally_ drenching Oikawa when she was handing him his water bottle, there was _accidentally_ tripping the manager as she was transporting a basket of laundry and thus sending the smelly clothes flying everywhere, and there were insults and threats that were chirped all too happily whenever they passed each other. For those who didn't witness what happened last night, it was baffling.

And terrifying. Definitely terrifying.

"Kunimi-chan," Oikawa called, walking toward the boy after he snatched a plate of rice-balls from the white-haired manager.

Lunchtime had finally arrived after hours of a sugar-sweet warzone. With Shiratorizawa gone, the lot of them were having a regular joint practice where they exchanged drills and routines, as well as played matches with mixed teammates. Lunch was the same as usual, but unlike yesterday, the white-haired girl was outside offering rice-balls instead of crying alone in her sleep in the kitchen (not that anyone aside from Akaashi knew of that incident).

The lax boy looked up curiously, taking a rice-ball when the captain offered. "To answer your question from earlier, Tobio-chan has an older sister."

Kunimi blinked, hesitating on taking his first bite. "What? How do you know?"

Abruptly, Oikawa's face broke with a disdainful sneer aimed at the white-haired girl, who in turn stuck out her middle finger in his direction. "She was talking to him last night."

"Heh… I knew she was familiar." Kunimi looked to the girl in question, chewing slowly. "I saw her briefly at a game. What a coincidence."

Ah. The captain sweat-dropped. "That's all you're gonna say?"

Kunimi shrugged. "She's already calling me Kun-kun. I don't want her to get any more attached than she is right now."

"Hm…"

Oikawa looked to the girl for another brief moment, and in that quick second, their eyes met once more and they both glowered at each other. Tsubasa turned away with a huff, finding her eyes beginning to get sore from glaring so much. Noticing this, Akaashi approached her casually.

"Tsubasa-san, what happened?" the male asked.

Akaashi stiffened slightly as the girl whirled to face him with the grotesquely sweet smile she had been wearing all day, and he leaned back when he found a plate of onigiri shoved into his face. "Nothing at all happened~ Why do you ask?"

"Please stop smiling like that. It's scary."

Ah. Tsubasa huffed but did as he asked anyway, dropping the grin and pouting instead. She then frowned a bit to herself, before continuing to offer the onigiri. "Don't worry. I ate some too."

"I'll trust you're not lying to me." He reached for one of the rice-balls before continuing. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She was slow to answer. "Maybe… later. It's not that serious anyway."

"The surplus of insults says otherwise." She didn't respond. Akaashi finished the rice-ball quickly before reaching for another. "You tripped a few times earlier. Are you alright?"

"Ah- yeah. I'm sure my pants kept me from bruising."

"Then what about this one?" Akaashi, after politely brushing her bangs out of the way, gently tapped the bandage on her forehead; it was yellow this time with cute little soot sprites. "Surely you don't have to cover it up? It's just a bruise, after all."

Tsubasa hummed and reached up to feel the cool plastic. "I don't know about that. I'm anemic, so my bruises kinda stay ugly for a while. They take more time than normal to heal."

Akaashi blinked at the information before finishing his second onigiri. Briefly, his mind flashed back to when the two of them were running late to class, and the image of the girl exhausted and suppressing her fatigue was glued to the back of his eyes. _Ah._ "I see. Be sure not to push yourself."

The girl was somehow blank. Tsubasa hummed and nodded her head slowly, just as the male was reaching for more. Before he could grab his third one however, the girl looked up at and caught his eyes. The sudden meeting of their gazes had the boy rigged, and when he took notice of how wonderfully large her eyes were, with their neutral grey tone that looked as if it was brightening, his face was warming slowly.

"Keiji, I wanna know more about you."

…ah. And his face was immediately flushed. A large hand immediately flew up to hide his cheeks and he averted his gaze down to some distracting ladybug on a blade of grass by his feet. Innocently, the girl blinked and tilted her head.

"Is that so…" he replied lamely. "You're always free to ask."

The girl, for the first time that day, smiled genuinely and nodded. "Then later."

"Mm."

And the male was slowly lowering his hand to reach for his third rice-ball, and just like yesterday, they were somehow standing closer to each other than usual. From afar, Bokuto recorded the scene with his owlish eyes and embedded it into his mind. Something churned within his gut, not anything angry or feral, but rather, something filled with fear.

The fear of repeating the past.

* * *

"Oi, Akaashi!" Bokuto called as practice ended for the day. The gym was getting cleaned up with the managers receiving help in collecting laundry and water bottles from various volleyball players from either team, and after everything was loaded up either in a washing machine or a crate, a majority of the teens were heading out to wait patiently in the cafeteria. The athletes who stayed behind were noticeably Oikawa and his typical gang, alongside most of the owl starters. Bokuto lowered his water bottle as he approached the vice-captain. "How's that _thing_ coming along?"

Akaashi blinked slowly. He held a volleyball in his hands and was more than ready to toss for the captain as per usual. "Well… I haven't really had the chance to practice it, Bokuto-san."

"Ah, I figured! Because I keep asking you to toss to me for after-practice practice, right?"

Again, the second-year blinked. "Yes."

"Well, today's your lucky day! Go ahead and practice it and get all the help you need, because today-" Bokuto suddenly pulled Tsubasa off from the sidelines, just as she was getting ready to trot outside as well and head to the kitchen. "-I'll have Tsubaka toss to me!"

Ah. Both Tsubasa and Akaashi blinked, the two of them replying simultaneously, "What?"

"Good idea, right?!"

Tsubasa frowned slightly and looked up to her best friend. "But I have to help prepare dinner." _And I definitely can't toss endlessly like Keiji can._

"Shirofuku and Suzumeda can do it by themselves! This is important! I need someone to toss to me, but Akaashi needs to practice his own thing!"

Akaashi sighed slightly. "You should at least ask Shirofuku-san."

"Ask me what?"

Bokuto grinned widely as the red-haired manager walked by with Kaori on her side. "Shirofuku! You and Suzumeda can make dinner by yourselves, right? Akaashi needs to practice his own technique, but I need someone to toss to me. Tsubaka volunteered to."

"E-eh?! Did I?"

Yukie blinked slowly before she shrugged and grinned slightly. Beside her, Kaori stiffened and gawked. "That's fine. She does most of the cooking anyway, so it's only fair. Don't overwork her like you do with Akaashi though."

"Okay! Yosh, let's go to the other gym, Tsubaka!"

Ah. And the young man was throwing the girl over his shoulder and running out the gym, all while she flailed and stuttered. She briefly caught Akaashi's eyes and frowned just a bit, as the promise of 'later' was still fresh in both of their minds. Still, the girl allowed herself to be kidnapped, even as Kaori became visibly distressed at the scene with her flushed cheeks.

Akaashi sighed slightly to himself before nodding respectfully at the remaining two managers, and very calmly, he made his way to Court B. Court A was taken up by his fellow starters, with Komi making good in receiving Sarukui's spikes and getting the ball back to Konoha, who spiked the ball either into or through a block made up of Washio and Sarukui. It was a routine they went through numerous times, all for the purpose of strengthening their fundamentals. Court B, on the other hand, was occupied by Oikawa and his fellow third-years, most of which were stretching at current.

Oikawa looked up from tying his shoes as another pair entered his periphery. He blinked slowly at the owl vice-captain, who stood there patiently with a volleyball in his hands.

"What's up, Akaashi-kun?" the opposing captain prompted as he stood. He then smiled sickeningly. "If it's about Tsubasa-chan and I, there's nothing going on."

Ah. Akaashi held back a frown and shook his head. _So something_ is _going on. Hm._ "No. I wanted to inquire about something else."

"Okay~ What is it?"

"Can you tell me the secret to your jump serve?"

Oikawa and his peers blinked.

 _Eh?_

* * *

Tsubasa watched the ball arch into the air. Carefully stretching her arms up, she made brief eye contact with the owl captain before pushing the volleyball back into the air. A slam sounded and the ball was bouncing off the other side of the court.

"You know," Tsubasa said, lowering her arms and breathing slowly, "there isn't much point to spiking practice if you don't have anyone to block you."

Bokuto sighed and propped his hands up on his hips. "Right? But everyone else wants to practice their own thing, so there isn't really anyone we can ask."

The girl hummed as she bent down to roll her sweatpants up to her knees. "Heh… So everyone else has their own technique they wanna polish? You guys use a whole lot of… like, normal moves during the games. Nothing really stands out."

Ah. The captain grinned and nodded. "We do it like that when we have training camps or practice matches with other teams. No one gets to see our tricks until official games. All part of being a sneaky owl~"

Tsubasa smirked. "You mean stealthy?"

"It's more or less the same thing!"

"Yes, yes~ Yosh, on to the next toss!"

Bokuto nodded and trotted to the back of the court, where a wheeled basket of volleyballs was situated. Grabbing one and spinning it between his large hands, he locked his fingers around it suddenly. Large, amber irises traced its circumference in thought. He looked up to the girl then, who was watching him curiously.

"Hey, Tsubasa."

She tilted her head. "Yeah?"

"What do you think of Akaashi?"

She tilted her head even more, almost so that her ear nearly touched her shoulder. "Heh? Keiji?" Tsubasa hummed as she straightened up, smiling. "He's a good guy. I'm glad we're friends. He's like a cooler and more confident Kenma."

 _Somewhere in Miyagi, sitting by himself in an inn room, Kenma sneezed and dropped his PSP3._

Bokuto gave the ball a bounce. "Yeah… He is cool. I think so too." The young man threw the ball up suddenly, and when Tsubasa gave him the proper toss he needed, he spiked it easily and landed with a thud. Silently, the male trotted back to the basket.

Tsubasa huffed and pressed a fist against her hip. "I'm not thinking of replacing you with him, if that's what you're getting at."

Ah. Bokuto tripped suddenly and tightly gripped a volleyball. "I-I'm not worried about that!" He pouted slightly at the girl. "I just thought that you two got along really well."

…ah. Tsubasa smirked suddenly as her eyes became lidded. "Eh~ So Koutarou-kun is jealous? How cute~"

"I-I'm not jealous! I know that we'll always be better friends than you and him! And don't use an honorific with me! It's gross…"

Tsubasa's eyes enlarged immensely, almost so that they were as big as the moon. She blinked quickly, watching her best friend as he gave the ball a few harsh bounces while he pouted childishly. Her eyes slowly began to brighten.

 _Ah. I see._

"Yosh, you ready, Tsubaka!?"

The girl blinked rapidly before she nodded quickly. She raised her arms just a bit, and with her head lowered slightly, she smiled to herself and nearly laughed.

 _He still has that confidence in our friendship. He can even say it out loud like it's something the entire world needs to know._

Tsubasa lifted her face and watched the ball closely. She pressed her thumbs against her palms in order to prevent herself from grabbing the ball – which was a habit from her basketball days – and tossed the thing high into the air. Her best friend jumped with some wide, toothy grin on his stupid face, and warmly, the girl smiled.

 _What am I doubting, honestly?_

* * *

Oikawa grinned crookedly, scratching the back of his head. "T-the secret to my jump serve? Is there a secret?" The male suddenly stuck out his tongue and pulled on his lower eyelid. "Like I'd tell you if there was one anyway!"

Ah. Akaashi blinked slowly as Iwaizumi smacked the back of the captain's head. "Oi, don't treat him like Kageyama! Isn't it enough that you're already bullying his older sister?"

"She started it first tho- ow!"

"So there's no real secret." The opposing captain looked up despite the headlock Iwaizumi had him caught in. "I had my suspicions. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but if that's the case, then your jump serve must be completely reliant on strength, yes?"

"Maybe, maybe no-" Iwaizumi tightened his grip suddenly. "I-Iwa-chan- I-I can't breathe!"

The vice-captain nodded. "That's right. It's got a fifty-fifty chance of making it over the net. We usually take bets on whether or not it does."

Akaashi stroked his chin in thought. "I see. Thank you for your time." The male bowed politely. "Please excuse-"

"Wait~ just a minute, Akaashi-kun," Oikawa interrupted as he slid out of Iwaizumi's headlock to sling an arm around the owl's shoulders. Akaashi blinked. "You asked me a question, so I get to ask you one!"

From the sidelines, Hanamaki narrowed his eyes slightly. "But you didn't answer-"

" _Ahem_!" Ah. The pink-haired player rolled his eyes as Oikawa continued. "Why're you asking about that, hm?"

Again, Akaashi blinked. "To improve as a setter, of course." As politely as possible, the younger setter pushed Oikawa's arm off of him. "Oikawa-san, you're one of the best setters in the nation. Of course I'm asking for your guidance."

Oikawa hummed, jutting a lip out. "Is that so… Then, is that the only reason my team was invited to this?"

"No-"

"Yo, sorry to interrupt!" Ah. The group looked up (or down, since the interrupter was short) as Komi suddenly approached them with an eager trot. The own libero gave a quick glance around Court B before he turned to Oikawa, who quirked a brow simply. "Say, where's your guys' libero? I wanna ask him 'bout that back toss he did in one of our matches."

Oikawa blinked. "Er- he's probably in the cafeteria by now."

Komi tutted to himself. "Seriously? Damn. That looked hella cool in the game. Well thanks anyway." He turned away then, trotting back to his fellow starters. "Hey guys, let's go to the second gym. I didn't get that many receives in today."

Konoha sighed harshly at the idea. He slouched over and dropped his arms in front of him. "Why though? I'm tired. I wanna watch horror movies. We still got homework to do too."

Sarukui looked to the wing spiker. "If you skip out, we'll just replace you with Onaga. And you're the only one with homework left to do."

Washio nodded, crossing his arms. "We finished ours last night while you were re-watching _The Blair Witch Project_."

Ah. Konoha stiffened slightly. At the mention of the first-year, Komi growled and proceeded to march out of the gym. "Speaking of that first-year, where is he?! I gotta whip his ass into shape!"

…ah. And the four of them were exiting the gym, with Konoha being pushed forth by both Sarukui and Washio. Akaashi sighed slightly at the sight of them, but it wasn't a sigh filled with disdain or contempt; as odd as it might have been, it was a very endearing sigh. He turned to Oikawa and the other third-years.

"Bokuto-san and a few of the other starters have been competing with Sakusa, the number one ace of the nation, since junior high," Akaashi began. "And they've been beaten every single time. Before the third-years retire, I want to beat Itachiyama in an official match, or at the very least, take a set from them. In order to do that, I need to improve. That's all." The younger setter bowed at that moment and turned away, striding calmly towards Court A. The Seijoh third-years stared after him, with Oikawa eyeing the young male's every step.

Akaashi gave the ball a few bounces before catching it midair, and giving it a brief squeeze to flex his muscles, he tossed it forth. Iwaizumi and the other two watched curiously as Oikawa walked to Court A quietly, the opposing captain watching Akaashi's every movement as he jumped to perform his own jump serve. As with any average jump serve, the ball flew forward from his palm and hit the other side of the court. The sound was almost hollow. Akaashi tutted.

"You need more strength," Oikawa said then. Akaashi looked to his left as the older setter approached him, with neither a smile or a frown on his pretty face. "Your form could use some improvement as well. You're tall and you have good, natural jumping power, so you should focus most of your strength into the swing of your arms. The strength you put into that swing is what you'll force out and onto the ball."

Akaashi perked up at the information before he nodded.

"Yes."

* * *

Tsubasa smiled from her spot on the edge of the stage as she watched the owl practice as per usual. Konoha had relieved her from her temporary-setter duties after it became evident she was beginning to wear down (which was depressing, more or less, since she only got in ten tosses) and the lot of them were going at it in a smooth cycle of blocking, spiking, receiving, and all that good stuff. Tsubasa – who had been secretly snapping photos through her entire time at Fukuroudani – was playing around on her phone; she was sending out messages to her uncle and some other beloveds (so of course Kuroo, Kenma, and her younger brother were included) and taking quick pictures every now and then – all of it done with the smallest, but warmest smile on her cute face. She blinked as her phone buzzed suddenly in her hand.

 _ **Tetsurou [5/5 9:01 PM]:**_ _lets talk later. bitch_

Ah. The girl huffed and texted back a response.

 _ **[5/5 9:02 PM]:**_ _Tetsurou fuckin fight me m8_

 _ **Tetsurou [5/5 9:02 PM]:**_ _i will. verbally. over the phone. prbly round midnightish. still in practikjh284e_

…ah. The girl sweat-dropped. _He probably just got hit by a ball or something._

 _All the way in the Miyagi Prefecture, Kuroo threw his phone off to the sidelines and cracked his knuckles. The young man, who had some fresh red bruise on his forehead, glowered at another male with some dyed mohawk, who was apologizing profusely and bowing viciously._

Midnight was approaching quickly. While dinner flew by and everyone was in the showers, it somehow seemed a bit tense for the managers when the three of them shuffled into the nicely-tiled building. After Yukie made sure to lock the door, the three of them were standing in their separate stalls and filling the building with sweet and fruity-smelling bath products. Given the time, they were wrapping up their showers quicker than usual, and now, the three of them were navigating the hallways of their school and making it back to their classroom. Tsubasa, who lagged just a bit behind Kaori and Yukie, watched the first-year silently. She paused in her steps.

"Kaori," she said, her voice sounding too innocent for the words she was about to say. Kaori froze in her tracks as well, and a bit begrudgingly, she looked to Tsubasa over her shoulder. The first-year went rigged at the bright gleam in the second-year's irises.

"W-what, senpai…?"

Tsubasa held the younger girl's gaze for a few silent seconds. She took a deep breath. Yukie watched curiously with a tilt of her head.

"I get that you have feelings for Koutarou and all, and I don't mind at all, but…" Tsubasa frowned, her gaze hardening. "But no matter what, Koutarou's my absolute best friend, and I need him after all this time. So- so please don't try to be come between our friendship. We're close, sure, but he's like a brother to me. You don't have to worry about me like that."

Both Yukie and Kaori blinked rapidly, before the latter blushed violently and stammered dumbly on the spot for a good minute.

"W-w-w-what?! I-I-I don't-" The first-year turned away, shoving her burning face into her elbow. "I-I-I don't… l-l-like him…"

"That's a lie," both Tsubasa and Yukie said immediately. Kaori stiffened at that.

Yukie sighed and slapped the first-year's back, prompting her to stand up straight. "Oi, Tsu-chan's being honest with her feelings, so you should too. You should also apologize. You're being insensitive."

Kaori stuttered once more, before she pursed her lips and gazed down to her feet. Sheepishly, with her fingers fiddling with each other behind her back, the young girl bowed her head toward Tsubasa.

"S-s-sorry, senpai… It's just- y-y-you're so close to him! A-and you came out of nowhere too! I-I haven't seen him in a few months so… I-I was just panicking. I'm sorry."

Ah. Tsubasa laid a hand on Kaori's shoulder, smiling crookedly. "Kaorin, I haven't seen him in seven _years_."

"I-I-I'm sorry!"

Tsubasa laughed gently and gave the girl a brief hug, before trotting on ahead and grinning over her shoulder. "It's fine, it's fine! With your type of feelings, it's understandable. I'll do what I can to help!"

…ah. And the white-haired girl was winking cheekily. Yukie smirked and patted Kaori's shoulder before following Tsubasa's lead and continuing on their way, and after a brief moment of simply standing there on the spot in slight awe, Kaori took off after them. The first-year, her cheeks flushed beyond belief, somehow had the image of Tsubasa's grin glued to her mind. Her expression softened as she joined her fellow managers, and she bashfully fiddled with her fingers.

"I-is it… that obvious?"

"Yup."

And then both Yukie and Tsubasa were teasing their kouhai. Any volleyball players who just so happened to witness the scene blushed slightly, for the managers were all wet-haired and fresh out of the showers and animatedly performing _girl talk_. What had the males most awe-stricken was the moonlight streaming from Tsubasa's head in the form of her hair, for it swished behind her beautifully and freely.

A series of buzzes sounded in Tsubasa's pocket suddenly, just as the three managers were about to enter their classroom. Tsubasa grinned at the other two and excused herself, before trotting down the hallway to sit at the top of the staircase. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she grinned slightly at the caller ID.

"Hey dickhead," Tsubasa greeted immediately with a smirk. "You wanted to talk?"

On the other side of the line, Kuroo tutted. _"Can't you greet me properly for once?"_

The girl gave an exaggerated sigh. "Hi, Tetsurou."

" _Hi, Tsubasa."_

"What's up?"

Kuroo tutted once more. _"I can't call every now and then? Just wanted to know how you've been. You're at your first training camp ever, so of course I'm curious."_

Tsubasa hummed and nestled her chin in her palm. "Heh~ Well… at first it was really fun, but certain things have happened and… yeah."

" _Hm? What happened?"_

She groaned immediately. "Ugh. _Ugh_. Remember that Oikawa guy you told me about?"

" _Oh, this sounds good."_

"Ugh! So _apparently_ he knew my little brother in junior high and he was some shitty senpai to him! We're on such bad terms!"

" _Ha! Seriously? What a coincidence."_

"Right?" Tsubasa sighed harshly and slouched. "I probably wouldn't be surprised if you guys have a match with my little brother's high school. You're in Miyagi, after all. Maybe you guys already had a match."

" _What high school does he go to?"_

"Karasuno."

"…"

"…hm?" Tsubasa blinked. "Why are you silent."

Ah. It was hardly a question.

" _Okay don't be upset."_

"I'm already upset!"

" _So get this-"_

"Oh god."

" _-Nekoma's fated rivals are this school called Karasuno-"_

"Oh my _god_."

" _-and way back in the day, there was this thing called the Battle at the Garbage Dump, because of like our mascots and whatnot, and the main reason for us coming to Miyagi-"_

"Are you fucking-"

" _-is to have the fated reunion between us cats and those crows."_

Tsubasa stammered. Like a fish, she gaped and stuttered mindlessly for a good minute before pursing her lips. Another minute of silence passed. She spoke up with a deadpan.

"Please don't bully him like Shittykawa-san does."

" _Relax, I'm a nice guy. I don't really know what he looks like anyway."_

The girl immediately released a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god."

" _I'm just gonna yell 'Tobi-kun' and see who panics at the nickname."_

" _Why_ do you do this to me."

" _I wanna know who your little bro is! You sound so fond of him too, so I gotta be aware. Do you think he'll call me Tetsu-nii-san?"_

Tsubasa hummed just a bit. "He's a bit simple-minded, so he just might if you tell him you know me."

" _Nice."_

The girl sighed once more but smiled anyway with a roll of her eyes. "What are you doing right now?"

" _Just walkin' around. My teammates are already settled down in the place we're staying at, so I'm just getting away. Kenma's there too, in case you were wondering."_

"I figured. Does he get along well with your team?"

" _Yeah, you'd be surprised. You'll see when we get back to Tokyo. Our coaches got something scheduled for next week."_

Tsubasa brightened immediately, perking up excitedly with a strong gleam in her irises. "Really?!"

" _Yup. Guess crows and cats aren't the only ones having a reunion, huh?"_

The girl's smile became soft as she nodded, and very gently, her hooded eyes traced the shape of the stairs before her. "Mhm. I've been waiting for you guys to come here. Even though I've already seen you and Kenma, and even though Koutarou and I have made up and everything, all four of us have yet to come together. I just might cry."

" _Seriously? I'll take pictures, you know. You don't cry very often."_

Tsubasa shrugged, laughing. "Yeah, go ahead. I'll add the pictures to my journal."

" _Journal? Sounds interesting. Enlighten me."_

"It's nothing special. I have lots of journals of the countries I visited and all the people I met. But this one is just for like… firsts, and stuff like that."

" _Firsts? So like… first kiss, first time, first time unprotected, first-"_

"No, you pervert!" Tsubasa huffed, rolling her eyes. "Like, my first day of high school, my first _training camp_. Some goals too, like meet siblings of a new friend, join a school club, shit like that."

On the other side of the line, Kuroo was silent. He blinked slowly as he stared out the window, and his hazel eyes traced the moon's full shape slowly.

" _Why do you have a journal for stuff like that?"_

Tsubasa's expression softened once more, only this time, it was just the tiny bit filled with sorrow. "I want to remember that stuff. I think it's an important part of youth." Kuroo was silent, signaling for her to elaborate. "When I was travelling, I learned and experienced a lot of things. I met a lot of people, and made lots of friends. But despite that, I never got to experience things like this. When you settle down after moving around so much, all these mundane and trivial things start to show out more than they should."

" _When you put it that way, I don't think they're trivial at all."_ Tsubasa blinked at the statement. _"So, what's next on the list?"_

"Huh? Oh- um… I'm pretty sure it's us four being together for the first time in a while. Depends. I've got it divided up in sections. I'll show you when you come back."

" _Is that an invitation to a midnight rendezvous at your place?"_

The girl sighed. "Why is it always midnight with you? I sleep sometimes, you know."

" _Pft. Sometimes. You should sleep every night, but whatever. Is that a yes or no?"_

Tsubasa huffed, pouting slightly. "Of course it's a yes. You can come over whenever the hell you want. My apartment, my rules~"

" _It'll be just us two, you know. You oughta be careful. I'm a smooth cat."_

"Uh huh. Yeah. Okay. Remember that one time you tripped and pulled down Koutarou's pants and then _he_ fell over and knocked Kenma down and in order to avoid everyone looking at Kenma I threw myself on top?"

" _S-shut up! We were kids, I was clumsier back then! But I'm basically a man now, so-"_

"And remember that one time you were trying to peep on Koutarou's big sister and then-"

" _No no no shut up! We had an agreement to never talk about that!"_

"Oho but you still remember!"

" _H-how could I forget?!"_ Tsubasa laughed aloud and slapped her knee, prompting the male to tut with irritation. _"God, I was wrong to check up on you. Go to sleep, you dumb bitch!"_

"Ha ha! Good night, Tetsurou~"

" _Hmph!"_

And the call ended with a click. Tsubasa continued giggling to herself even as she made her way back to the classroom, where Yukie and Kaori were up completing their vacation homework. Tsubasa, having done it already, snuggled into the futons right between the two and bid them goodnight.

Sleep came and gifted her with dreams of cats.

* * *

Kuroo's eyes narrowed down at the paper in scrutiny. Having returned to his teammates' room with an irritated march, he figured he'd look over the player roster of his team's fated rivals: Karasuno High School. A certain name drew his attention much more than the rest, and the voice of a girl saying 'Tobi-kun' echoed in his mind.

 _Kageyama Tobio. First-year-_

"What if they had a beauty for a manager? I won't ever forgive them! Never!"

 _Position: setter. Tall-_

"Never ever! Never ever _ever_!"

Ah. The sound of a window being throw open had the young man gritting his teeth in irritation.

"And if that's the case, then you'd better watch out, Karasuno!"

Kuroo lowered the paper and glared harshly over his shoulder. "Shut up, Yamamoto!"

The teen, with his dyed mohawk, more or less ignored his captain. "What do you think, Kenma?"

Kuroo rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the player roster. His focus seemed completely derailed at that point as the only thing he could seem to think about the white-haired girl and her stupid tendencies. His eyes became hooded as they ran over the name of her little brother over and over again, only for his agitation to spike up once more.

"K-Kenma, who has no will to play, is looking forward to a match?!"

"Yamamoto," Kuroo began, leaning back and cutting in once more, "you seem _full_ of energy. You can practice double the amount if you'd like."

And the ace was bowing his head and uttering a measly, "I-I'm sorry…"

Inuoka Sou, who sat nearby, smiled crookedly at the team's captain. "You seem more irritated than usual, Kuroo-san."

"I'm trying to do captain stuff, you little punks."

"S-sorry!"

Kenma looked up from his game and to the young man, who was huffing and once again redirecting his eyes to the player roster. He scooted a bit closer to the young man and resumed his game. "Weren't you talking with Haku a little while ago?"

"Yeah."

"How is she?"

"She's doing alright. She's excited to see us next week."

"Heh…"

"Her little brother goes to Karasuno. He's one of their setters."

"…eh?"

Hearing the words 'she' and 'her,' Yamamoto sheepishly shuffled over to the two of them. "Um… Who are we talking about?"

Kuroo glared immediately. "Who is 'we'-"

"Haku. She's a childhood friend of ours."

Yamamoto gaped and leaned back. "You guys have a friend like that? How come _we_ don't have a lady manager then?!"

Before Kenma could say anything, Kuroo slapped his hand down onto the wing spiker's mohawk and squeezed the male's head. "Because her best friend is Bokuto so she goes to Fukuroudani. I wouldn't even let her be manager when some desperate punk-ass like you is here."

"K-Kuroo-san! That hurts! A-and I would never flirt with someone else's girlfriend!"

…ah. Kuroo's eyes narrowed, and just a bit, Kenma stilled. " _Girlfriend_? Whose girlfriend?"

Yamamoto blinked dumbly. "I-is she not your girlfriend? W-what you said just now was kinda… boyfriend-like."

Kenma looked to him. "Shut up, Tora."

"W-why?! What'd I do wrong this time?!"

The door opened suddenly, allowing for the team's libero and vice-captain to walk in.

"Yo, we're back," Yaku Morisuke announced with some plastic bag of drinks. He blinked then, taking notice of the somewhat-tense atmosphere and the silence. He eyed the way Kuroo gently released Yamamoto's head and turned back to the player roster.

"Don't make stupid assumptions. We're just friends."

"S-s-s-sorry…"

Yaku quirked a brow and looked up to Kai Nobuyuki, who simply shrugged. "Anyway… I got the drinks you guys wanted."

Inuoka stood to take the bag from his senpai. "Oh! Thanks, Yaku-san! I'll hand them out for you."

"Thanks."

Kenma took the cans of sweet tea from Inuoka and set one down beside Kuroo's futon. The male, who was oddly silent, kept his attention glued to the name on the player roster. The sheet of paper began to crumple within his grip as the words from the incident just moments ago echoed in his mind.

 _We're not dating. She's just a friend. A stupid friend. She's hardly girlfriend material. She's a dumb, two-faced, short, long-haired, dog-owning, best-friend-loving, loyal, talented, smart, family-oriented… girl._

Kenma sat up a bit straighter and grabbed the can of sweet tea. He nudged Kuroo with it. The male looked up with a jump, and when the setter offered the can, he blinked slowly. Without a word, he took the can, put away the paper, and popped the thing open.

It wasn't sweet.

 _We're just friends._

* * *

 _It was just an accident. Tetsurou stared with wide eyes at the garden gnome he had just knocked over, as it lay at his feet in several shards of hardened clay. Honestly speaking though, he wasn't supposed to be there; he was just on his way to Kenma's house to drag the boy outside to play volleyball, when along the way he heard something angelic escaping an opened window of the new neighbor's house – which was right across from his own place. He snuck into the backyard and hid himself in the nicely-trimmed hedges, and from that distance, he watched and listened intently as some girl with short white hair caressed the strings of her violin carefully._

 _For a kid, she was beautiful. Standing in some curtained room with bookcases for walls, she stuck out like a sore thumb with her pure-white, shoulder-length hair and her cute little white sundress. Her eyes were large and round and he couldn't determine what color they were; sometimes they looked white, other times they looked grey – it depended on what she was playing. But everything he saw from that opened window had him feeling blessed, as if he was setting his eyes on an actual angel from heaven._

 _Tetsurou had been squatting down in the shrubbery for nearly an hour just listening to the tunes the girl produced, whether they were written down on the music sheets or conjured up from her beautiful head. Granted, whenever she played a more fun melody rather than the classical tunes on her music stand, some stern-looking woman came in and scolded her. That didn't stop the young girl, however, and she got in trouble twelve times only._

 _(Yes, he did actually keep count.)_

 _But he had been squatting for longer than was invited, and with his numb legs, he stumbled forward and knocked over the garden gnome that was his main source of cover. His first thought was that it was fine since the thing was ugly anyway – what, with its bumpy curves and atrocious proportions – but he panicked when he heard the music stop. Soon enough, a small pair of bare feet was standing at the edge of his vision, and he was hesitantly meeting the innocent gaze of the white-haired girl._

 _His face exploded in hues of red._

" _S-s-sorry!" he stuttered out, standing with a stumble as he hugged a volleyball to his chest. "Um- I just-"_

 _The girl smiled suddenly and she giggled. The heat on his face spread up to his ears. "Did you knock over Mister Gnome with your ball?"_

" _H-huh? Uh- no- um- I just-"_

" _Tsubasa? What are you doing?"_

 _Ah. The girl's eyes widened immensely at the woman's voice. She shoved the boy back into the hedges and shushed him, before she turned and pulled on some wide, toothy smile. She stood over the remains of the garden gnome and locked her arms behind her back. Tetsurou watched silently. He noted the slight tremble of the girl's fingers, and could only assume they shook that way due to all the nonstop music she had been playing._

" _Ah, mama!" the girl said in lieu of greeting. "Sorry. I just wanted a break."_

 _The woman, who was fairly short and owned to curly, black hair, sighed quietly and crossed her arms. "Your first break is only fifteen minutes away. You couldn't wait? You haven't even been practicing the music you were supposed to this entire time."_

" _I'm sorry, mama. I'll be better."_

" _Good. Look, you even knocked over that gnome you made."_

 _The girl perked up immediately. "It's okay! I can make you another-"_

" _It's fine; I don't need it."_

 _Tetsurou frowned immediately at this, and to keep himself from darting out of the bushes and snapping at the mother, he tightly hugged the volleyball to his chest. The girl's fingers stopped trembling, and her arms seemed to tighten as she curled her hands into little fists._

" _Yeah, the gnome I made was ugly, wasn't it? I'm sorry. I'll take care of the mess I made and get back to practice immediately."_

" _The music competition is next week, so get to it. Your older brother is doing his best in basketball, and look at him: he's already the captain. You should be able to amount to that accomplishment in music, Tsubasa; otherwise, what good are you? You need to stop playing around. You're not gifted at this like your father is."_

" _I understand."_

" _Then prove it."_

 _And the woman turned away without another word, making her way back to the two-story house. The white-haired girl stood there quietly with her back to the hidden boy, and as soon as her mother was inside, she turned and smiled._

" _Sorry about that! Are you okay?" she asked, reaching down to pick up the broken pieces of clay._

 _Tetsurou, without leaving the shrubs, grabbed the girl's hand and stopped her. His hand and his face were inexplicably warm. "Y-you can't grab sharp stuff like this bare-handed! You should… get a towel, or something."_

 _The girl laughed softly and smiled brightly, effectively stopping the boy's heart. "It's fine, it's fine! I'll get in more trouble if I take too long. But you should get going too, you know? Trespassing is bad."_

 _Tetsurou frowned in the darkness of the shrubs and slowly retracted his hand, letting the girl pick up the pieces and collect them with her dress. Very slowly, he poked his face out just a little bit, and met her grey irises bravely._

" _For the record…" he said, "I thought the gnome was cute. And your music is really pretty too. Like,_ your _music, not the classical stuff. And um- y-y-your hair is really pretty!"_

 _The girl's eyes widened and she froze. Her eyes, which had turned a neutral grey from her mother's scolding, brightened to an almost inhumane-white. She smiled brightly and nodded._

" _Thank you!" She kneeled in front of him then, her face much too close to his. "I'm Tsubasa! What's your name?"_

" _E-er… I-it's Kuroo."_

" _That's your name?"_

" _Huh? U-uh- no- it's…" The boy's blush intensified, and he met her eyes once more. "My name's Tetsurou."_

" _Tetsurou, will you listen to my music in the future?"_

 _The boy's eyes widened and he stood, effectively hitting his head against a number of branches. In the background, Tsubasa's mother called her name loudly from the front of the house. Before Tetsurou could answer properly, Tsubasa fitted her face into the bushes and pressed her forehead up against his._

" _Thanks again!"_

 _Tsubasa trotted away then and to an outdoor trashcan, where she pushed the shards of clay off of her white dress. The girl then climbed back through the window and hurriedly picked her violin up. Curiously, she looked out the window and to the bushes, where she spotted Tetsurou's hazel eyes shining through the darkness. He nodded then, gave a wave, and exited the backyard through a loose plank in the wooden fence. Tsubasa smiled to herself and let her eyes absorb the music sheet's information, and she played as loudly and smoothly as she could._

 _Running down the street with too red of a face, Tetsurou pursed his lips and hugged the volleyball tighter. The corner of his lips lifted slightly._

 _Such was the beginnings of first love at first sight._

* * *

 **word count: 9,227**


	9. 9

**9 i hold you like i hold the world but i don't deserve to**

" _Um… how'd you start playing volleyball, o-onee-san?"_

 _Tsubasa looked down. Sitting at her desk right beneath the window of her new room, she was simply staring outside and watching the raindrops dance down the glass. The water trickled freely and tangled with each other in translucent streams that had the girl watching out of boredom. It was reminiscent to watching paint dry. Beside her, a tall boy with black hair and large blue eyes looked up at her curiously. He sat on the floor with his legs crossed, and in his lap sat a bruised volleyball. She blinked slowly, before returning her gaze to the window._

 _Tobio frowned slightly to himself at her lack of an answer. He dropped his gaze down to the ball and traced a finger over its patterns._

" _Friends."_

 _The boy looked up with a start. Tsubasa, with her legs pulled up to her chest, hugged her knees tightly. Her arms remained hidden in the long sleeves while her hair, long and messy, cascaded down her small back. Black irises blinked slowly beneath unkempt bangs._

" _There was a kid in my old neighborhood," she murmured, her eyes glazing over with thought as she struggled to remember. "There was someone else too… I always tossed for him. I don't really like volleyball, but…"_

" _But?"_

 _Tobio blinked, before he squinted harshly; it looked as if the girl's black irises brightened up just a bit to a dark, dark grey. His own eyes widened and he listened intently as she continued brokenly._

" _He… always looked so happy whenever he spiked," Tsubasa said as her eyes softened up. "So I continued playing volleyball just to see… that expression of his."_

 _Bright amber irises flashed in her mind suddenly, and just a little bit, the girl winced. Tobio stared at her silently, before he hesitantly spoke once more._

" _Who were they? The one who introduced you to volleyball, and the one who you wanted to toss for?"_

 _Tsubasa's eyes became hooded as lightning flashed in the distance. It blinded her for a quick second, and when a minute passed without a sound of thunder, the girl blinked. Raindrops fell from her eyes._

" _I wonder."_

* * *

The day was progressing surprisingly fast. Breakfast breezed by and the morning drills and routines were also a blur, and all of a sudden, lunch was over and the two teams were facing off in a real practice match. Somehow, Tsubasa was nowhere near Akaashi during practice or lunch; she and Kaori seemed much closer than yesterday as they took care of the chores together, and the teasing remarks and giggly conversations were easily noticed by one male in particular.

Akaashi gave a conscious blink as he stretched his arms up, and after making brief eye contact with Sarukui, he pushed the volleyball back up into the air. The two teams were in the first set of the first match, with Seijoh leading by a point. A block rose from the other side of the net and the ball was bouncing back to the owls.

"Damn," Sarukui muttered, before patting Akaashi's shoulder and returning to his position. "Nice toss."

Akaashi nodded simply, before he redirected his gaze to the net. He found Matsukawa and Iwaizumi high-fiving to celebrate the block.

 _More power, huh?_

"Nice toss, Keiji!"

Ah. The male looked up with a slight start. Tsubasa's light grey irises found his own navy orbs easily as she smiled widely, and just a little bit, his eyes brightened. He nodded back, completely unaware of the small blush against his cheeks. The whistle blew and the game was resuming.

 _Somehow, I feel as though I haven't seen her in a while._

As the game resumed and the players were yelling out commands as needed, Coach Yuuto, the owl assistant coach, looked up with a start as his phone vibrated violently in his pocket. His eyes widened and he gasped just a bit at the caller ID, and he quickly left Yukie in charge to answer the call outside. He stumbled with his phone.

"M-Mister Principal! H-hello..."

* * *

"All right, let's start cleaning up!"

The gym echoed with noises of affirmation. Located all the way in the Miyagi Prefecture, Kuroo rolled his shoulders and broke the cricks in his neck as he looked to his teammates. The lot of them had just finished up their final match with Karasuno with a brief consultation from the crow coach, and the sun was just beginning to set outside. It was a fun time overall, but tiring nonetheless; it was truly a wonder where the crows' short, redheaded middle blocker got his stamina from.

"Let's get cleaning," Kuroo ordered simply. "Don't let Karasuno do everything just 'cause we're guests to this prefecture."

"Yes!"

And the team of cats broke up to start cleaning. Kuroo stepped onto the court and paused suddenly. The redheaded shorty and the prodigal setter of their destined rivals were just beginning to get the net squared away, all while throwing insults at each other back and forth. Kuroo grinned loosely, before Kenma stepped up to him curiously.

"You said Haku's little brother is one of their setters, right?" Kenma asked, also directing his tired gaze to the two crows. Somehow, the male was sighing. "Is that him then?"

Kuroo shrugged. "Probably. I could test it, if you'd like."

Ah. And the cat captain was pulling his phone out. Kenma deadpanned at the male as he held the phone in front of him and began recording a video, and with his free hand cupped around his mouth, he grinned and parted his lips.

"Tobi-kun!"

…ah. Karasuno's prodigal setter, also known as Kageyama Tobio, looked up wildly with a start. Kuroo snickered behind his phone as he recorded the boy's confused expression of wide eyes and almost-eager head turns. Content, the captain put his phone away and strode up to the two, with Kenma deciding to watch from a distance. Hinata Shouyou squinted at the setter in confusion.

"Why're you looking around like that? You look like you've gotta go to the bathroom."

"Shut up! You don't understand!"

"T-that's why I'm asking!"

"Heh~ So Tsubasa's cute little brother-" The two of them looked away from the pole, where they were untying the net's strings. Hinata yelped at the sight of the captain and darted behind Kageyama, who simply stared with wide eyes. "-is this guy? Amazing."

"W-w-what?! Y-you wanna- wanna fight, you- you rooster-head?!" Hinata stuttered out. The short boy stepped back as Kageyama shrugged him off. "O-oi!"

"You-" Kageyama turned back to the captain quickly. Kuroo simply smiled, tilting his head. "W-what'd you just say?"

"Tobi-kun." The setter flinched once more. Kuroo's grin broadened. "Aw, that's such a cute nickname."

"W-why do you know that nickname?"

"Huh? Oh, right. The name's Kuroo Tetsurou. I'm a childhood friend of Tsubasa's, your big sister." Kuroo pocketed his hands coolly. "Has she told you about me?"

Kageyama blinked rapidly. Behind him, Hinata poked his face out just a bit and stared up at the setter curiously. "Big sister? You have a big sister?"

"…"

Kuroo simply smiled and looked over his shoulder to Kenma, who was just beginning to help another teammate in shining the volleyballs. "Kenma! Come say hi."

The pudding-headed setter stiffened slightly, before he hesitantly looked over his shoulder. "Do I have to?"

"No, but it'd make Tsubasa happy, don't you think?"

"…"

And the male was shuffling over. Noticing the small commotion, Yaku looked over to the smallest group and tutted. The cat libero was engaging in simple conversation with the crows' vice-captain, Sugawara Koushi, who also took notice of the group. Apologetically, Yaku turned to the grey-haired setter.

"Seems like our captain is causing trouble. Sorry about that; he likes to tease. I'll be right-"

"No- it's fine," Sugawara said quickly. He blinked at Kageyama curiously, and took note of the younger setter's baffled yet awed expression. "It doesn't feel like that."

Yaku simply blinked, but heeded the opposing vice-captain's words. When Kenma finally joined the group, he nodded simply at Hinata and Kageyama, before Kuroo continued with his grin.

"I guess Tsubasa didn't tell you, huh? If it makes you feel better, I just learned last night that you attended this school. Fate's a bit funny, don't you think?"

"W-wait!" Kageyama pursed his lips, before blurting out, "You- really know my big sister? Is it… Tetsurou-san and… Kenma-san?"

Kenma, with his gaze averted, gave a small nod. "Mm."

Kuroo nodded as well. "Yo. Like I said, fate's a bit funny. So I guess Tsubasa _has_ told you about us?"

"Y-yes!" Kageyama straightened up and somehow, the boy's eyes were alight. "T-Tetsurou-san, you got her into volleyball! You two are her childhood friends. She- she went back to Tokyo so she could… be with you guys. A-and Koutarou-san, of course…"

"Heh~ she really told you about us, huh? Somehow, that feels nice." Kuroo curled his arm around Kenma's neck then, and the two were turning to leave. "Well, we just wanted to say hi. I'll tell Tsubasa you said hi. See ya."

"P-please wait!"

Kuroo paused, prompting Kenma to hang back as well. Hinata, alongside the crows' captain and vice-captain, blinked with wide eyes at the young setter. Kageyama stepped forward just a bit with large, shiny irises and an innocent expression that was completely foreign to his teammates. Kuroo blinked.

"Will you- will you take care of her?" The setter tensed slightly, and he curled his hands into fists. "Of my big sister?"

Sugawara blinked beside Yaku, while the crow captain, Sawamura Daichi, tilted his head just a bit with curiosity. Kuroo grinned widely, and both he and Kenma nodded.

"Of course. Leave it to us. The next time you see her, she'll be ten times better."

And some gleam had Kageyama's eyes brightening up. The setter nodded. "Yes!"

Off to the side, Sugawara blinked rapidly. "E-eh… So Kageyama's big sister knows Nekoma's captain?"

Daichi stepped up to the vice-captain. "I didn't even know he had a big sister."

Sugawara looked to Yaku, who seemed just as confused as the two of them. "Do you know anything, Yaku-san?"

"Eh? Ah- no, not really." Yaku's stare hardened at his team's captain. "I don't like that I don't know. Our team is small, so we know a lot of personal things about each other. This is the first time I'm hearing about this."

Sugawara hummed. "Eh? Is that so?"

"Yeah." Yaku sighed a little but smiled at the vice-captain anyway. "Well, I guess it's an opportunity for the both of us to get to know our teammates better, right?"

The two crows blinked and nodded. "Y-yeah…"

"Hey, Yaku! Get me that mop over there, would ya?"

Ah. Yaku tutted but excused himself anyway, before trotting over to the aforementioned mop. Sugawara blinked thoughtfully as he took the opposing libero's words to heart, and curiously, he glanced to the court where Hinata and Kageyama were beginning to roll up the net.

" _Y-you have a big sister?! Is she as scary as you?"_

" _Shut up, dumbass! Don't talk bad about her!"_

The vice-captain hummed, just as Daichi nudged him and encouraged him to help clean as well.

 _I guess we really don't know each other that well, huh?_

* * *

Oikawa deadpanned. Tsubasa stared back at him silently. The sun was just beginning to set behind them, thus signaling the end of the training camp. Seijoh and Fukuroudani faced off in a series of three final matches, all of which went to the owls. However, it wasn't an easy battle, as Seijoh managed to take a set every now and then and even drag the scores up to the thirties. By now, the lot of them were saying their farewells, and the teams could only watch anxiously as Tsubasa and Oikawa deadpanned at each other simply.

"Good work," Tsubasa said first. Those of Seijoh, aside from Oikawa, blinked in slight surprise at her lacking sarcasm. "You're not a bad volleyball player."

"Thanks," Oikawa replied with his lip jutted out and his eyes lidded. "Seems you're not bad at managing and whatnot."

"Thanks."

"Yup."

Bokuto blinked rapidly at the two of them, before he laughed aloud and grinned widely. Casually, he slung an arm around Oikawa's neck. "Yosh! I'll be in touch! Next time, we'll go over to Miyagi and we can trash Shiratorizawa together! How about we TP their gym?"

Oikawa grinned slightly at the owl captain and nodded. "Sounds good. We'll win against them for sure in the upcoming tournaments, so good luck to you guys with Itachiyama."

"Ooh! Thanks! Let's meet each other at nationals!" Bokuto removed his arm from the captain and turned to the other third-years, allowing Akaashi to approach the opposing captain. "Hey hey hey! You guys blocked my spikes a whole lot, so you can't lose to Ushiwaka anymore!"

Iwaizumi huffed. "Full of yourself, aren't you?"

"He has that right, doesn't he?" Konoha prompted with a sly grin as he came up beside the captain. "Seriously, if it weren't for that freak Sakusa, then this guy would still be in the top three. Don't you feel blessed?"

Before Iwaizumi or the other third-years could retort, Bokuto jerked in Konoha's direction and gaped slightly. "Who are you, Kuroo?!" Ah. Bokuto smirked then and turned back to the opposing ace, and he held out his fist expectantly. "He's not wrong though, you know? So hurry up and kick Shiratorizawa's ass, ace!"

The vice-captain blinked. He huffed once more and pounded the opposing ace's fist with his own. "Of course!"

Tsubasa poked out from behind Bokuto and pouted slightly. "Hey… Don't I get anything? I'm pretty sure you guys made my hair whiter."

Ah. Iwaizumi perked up and nearly bowed. "Sorry. Thanks for everything you've done, Tsubasa-san."

Tsubasa laughed and came out from hiding. "It's not a problem! It was fun looking after you guys, even with Oikawa-san. If you guys are ever in Tokyo outside of volleyball duties, let me know and I'll grant you discounts at my uncle's café. We offer sweets and pastries, but also regular food like udon and whatnot."

Iwaizumi nodded and gave a small smile. "Thank-"

Hanamaki pushed the vice-captain aside suddenly and stared intensely at the girl despite his blush. "W-what kind of sweets and pastries?"

Tsubasa's eyes widened and she grinned brightly. "Oh! Hanamaki-san, you can really talk!"

"W-what?!"

The girl laughed and waved a hand. "Nothing, nothing~ We've got donuts, cakes, cupcakes, cream puffs-"

" _Cream puffs_?!"

"Yeah." Tsubasa hummed and tapped a finger against her chin. "Uncle's been trying out new flavors and recipes, now that I think of it. Recently they've had lots of strawberries and cheesecake filling, but we still make the traditional kind."

"…s-strawberries and cheesecake filling…" Hanamaki staggered back to his place, where he grabbed Matsukawa's shoulders and shook him weakly. "Sei… Sei, why didn't we go there?"

"We didn't know, Hiro."

"Why didn't we know?"

"'Cause you're a coward. And it's Golden Week, so it's probably closed anyway."

"…oh."

…ah. Tsubasa frowned slightly as she witnessed some ghost-like breath escaping the pink-haired male, and when she asked if he was alright, Iwaizumi shrugged.

"He likes cream puffs."

"Ah. I see." Tsubasa hummed before she smiled widely. "Hanamaki-san, you can have my number if you'd like. I go to Miyagi often so I wouldn't mind bringing you cream puffs."

The male's soul immediately raced back into his body, and with watery eyes, he turned to her slowly. "…seriously?"

"Yeah, I don't mind. Can you handle having my number in your phone?"

"O-of course!" And the male was more or less pouting as he pulled his phone out. Tsubasa laughed as she relayed her digits to the male, something that was witnessed by Oikawa and Akaashi. The latter sighed softly.

"Honestly, what do you see in her?" Oikawa prompted quietly, glaring lightly at the scene. "Your tastes are weird, Akaashi-kun."

Akaashi blinked dumbly at the older setter, and very confusedly, he replied, "What are you talking about, Oikawa-san?"

Oikawa blinked back and pointed to the girl, who was now giving her number over to Matsukawa. "Don't you have a crush on her? You blush whenever you get involved with her." Akaashi's cheeks lit up suddenly with a faint dusting of pink, prompting Oikawa to point at him instead. "See? Like that."

Akaashi averted his gaze and rubbed the nape of his neck. "That's wrong. We're just friends."

Oikawa jutted a lip out in scrutiny. "Hm~ Well, whatever. That's not my problem." The setter suddenly pulled his phone out and stared expectantly at Akaashi. "But I'm a _good_ and _reliable_ senpai, so~"

Ah. Akaashi gave another soft sigh before telling the opposing setter his number. "Oikawa-san, the Interhigh preliminaries start early June in the Miyagi Prefecture, don't they?"

"Yup~ I'll be sure to tell you how it goes. For Tokyo, it's late June, right?"

"Yes. Good luck with Shiratorizawa."

"Ha! I'd rather we win based off of skill, but whatever. Same goes for you guys with Itachiyama." Oikawa directed his gaze once more to the group not too far from them, as Bokuto was now clinging to Tsubasa possessively and pouting intensely. The setter sighed. "Bokkun really is strange. But somehow, I don't hate him."

Akaashi deadpanned just a bit at the male. "I suppose that means a lot coming from you?"

"More or less. You said you wanted to beat Itachiyama for the third-years, right?" Oikawa looked to him once more and grinned. "Then the best of luck to you. I don't know how or why you're so close to them, but it's good; you're all a good team."

Akaashi blinked at the opposing setter, before he nodded firmly. "Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you."

"Yup, yup~"

"Yosh, we're leaving!" Coach Mizoguchi announced as he and Seijoh's head coach exited the school. Somehow, the younger coach's eyes looked red. "We should be able to make it home before midnight if we leave now. Let's go!"

"See ya." Oikawa patted Akaashi's shoulder before he turned to leave. "Coach Mizoguchi-kun~ Your eyes look red; are you drunk or have you been crying?"

Ah. The blonde coach tutted and simply ignored the male, all while the owl coach sniffed loudly and waved a handkerchief in their direction.

"So long, my friend!"

"S-shut up!"

Tsubasa smiled brightly despite the slight pang in her chest as she watched those of Seijoh finally make their way to their bus. Many of them, including a most of the third-years, waved after the girl and called their last thanks before boarding the bus. Tsubasa spotted Oikawa standing by the bus doors and letting his teammates go in first, and before he could trot inside as well, the girl called out to him.

"Bye bye, Shittykawa-senpai-san!"

Oikawa looked back with a surprised blink. He blinked once more as he noticed the girl's bright and wide grin aimed at _him_ – something he found especially odd considering the last few days of conflict between them. He huffed and smirked back, and pulled at his lower eyelid mockingly.

"See ya, Tsubaka-chan!"

And then he was entering the bus and letting the doors shut. Oikawa huffed once more as he trudged to his seat, and sitting with another puff, he crossed his arms and glared at his feet. Iwaizumi looked to him.

"What is it now?" the vice-captain prompted.

Oikawa snorted and turned away, sliding back i and slouching. "She's just as annoying as Tobio-chan."

…ah. Iwaizumi grinned slightly. "Yeah, she's not that bad."

"That's not what I said!"

Outside and standing at their school's front entrance, the volleyball team of Fukuroudani continued waving and yelling their words of encouragement at the bus until it finally drove away and faded from their vision. When those of Seijoh were finally gone, Coach Yuuto called his owls back to the gym for a final meeting to wrap up the training camp. With the managers situated behind the coach while he stood before his volleyball players, the man crossed his arms and smiled widely.

"Good work you guys. You sent Shiratorizawa limping to Itachiyama, and you forged new relationships with a great team," he started. "It's only going to get harder from here. Like we've learned a lot from them, they've learned a lot from us, and who knows what the hell Shiratorizawa reported to Itachiyama? But whatever comes along, I know for a fact that you'll all be ready."

The volleyball players briefly looked at each other to grin and bream excitedly, before they returned their attention to their coach once more. Coach Yuuto's expression was suddenly much more serious than before, and his eyes hardened.

"Owls have always been seen as a symbol of wisdom, while in reality, they're quite dumb animals. But don't let this discourage you. Remember; wisdom is much different, and much more valuable than intelligence." The coach set his hands atop his hips. "We've gotten wiser from being beaten around by Itachiyama, but this year is different. This year, we're taking their throne and finally kicking their asses out of the park. I got a call earlier today, and the dean has notified me that he is finally lifting the ban on morning practice." The owls gasped excitedly. Coach Yuuto stepped aside then and beckoned Tsubasa and Kaori forward. They both blinked. "So with that being said, let's welcome our newest members to the team!"

The two girls blinked once more, just as Yukie pulled out two plastic packages from some box that sat by the door and handed them to the new managers. Tsubasa took the package with a curious if not confused tilt of her head, and after receiving confirmation from Yukie and the coach via a small nod, she pulled the plastic away.

Tsubasa's eyes simultaneously brightened and enlarged as she unfolded some white jersey and held it before her. It was large and baggy with black and gold accents. On the back, sewn in bold black letters, was the name of the school. While Tsubasa gaped and stuttered, Kaori simply held the thing up and smiled slightly at it. Tsubasa turned to the coach quickly.

"W-we get a jersey?!" she exclaimed while hugging the thing tightly to her chest. Coach Yuuto laughed and nodded, pressing his hands against his hips.

"Of course! Shirofuku-san has been wearing the sweatpants all day, you know."

"R-really?! S-so we get a full tracksuit?!"

"Yup!"

Yukie trotted in front of the two new managers and held her phone up. "Kaori, Tsu-chan, put the jerseys on."

Ah. Tsubasa squealed excitedly and hastily unzipped the thing, while Kaori did so in a much calmer manner. When the two of them had the jackets encasing their arms and shoulders, Yukie snapped practically a million pictures, before she grinned in satisfaction and stepped off to the side. Tsubasa observed the sleeves of her jacket and beamed at the way the long sleeves hid her hands completely, and happily, she looked up at Kaori.

"Kaorin, it's so big!"

To show for it, the white-haired girl gave the sleeves a series of quick flaps while exclaiming _'Owl!'_ , something that prompted the first-year to blush. _C-cute!_

"Looks good, Tsubasa!" Bokuto yelled with a bright smile.

"Tsubasa-chan is more cute than pretty," Konoha then commented with a grin. He then turned to Akaashi, who was watching the girl with too warm of an expression. "So, we get to do _that_ thing, right?"

Akaashi exhaled softly through his nose. With slightly-flushed cheeks, he turned to his fellow teammates, all of which were now watching him expectantly as they stretched out the volleyball net between them.

"They're girls, so please be gentle," he advised them, prompting the third-years to step forward.

Hearing this, Tsubasa tilted her head with her bright smile. "What?"

Bokuto smirked simply and bounced up to her with an outstretched hand. Curious, and blinded by the overwhelming flood of positivity and happiness, Tsubasa placed her hand in his. The young man pulled her forward suddenly, just as Yukie pushed Kaori from behind and into the group of volleyball players. The two girls yelped in surprise as they suddenly found themselves suspended above the ground and tangled up within the volleyball net. Tsubasa found Akaashi and Bokuto by her head, and she simply blinked.

"Pft. Komiyan, you're still too short to hold the net up properly," Konoha said with a snicker, prompting the libero to jerk in his direction.

"Shut up, stupid Jack!"

"Say that again, I dare you!"

Bokuto spoke up before the two could continue. With a wide smile, he looked amongst his teammates and nodded. "Three!"

The lot of them lifted their arms up and tested the two managers' weights. Again, Konoha snickered.

"Hey, Shirofuku's friend. You're a little heavy, you know?"

Kaori glared at the male and growled. "What?! My name's Suzumeda Kaori! Get it right!"

"Two!"

Tsubasa gripped Kaori tightly as the volleyball players gave them another brief lift into the air. The white-haired girl looked up and met Akaashi's eyes, and almost embarrassedly, the male averted his gaze. Bokuto's excited grin abruptly transformed into some devilish smirk.

" _One_!"

Ah. Kaori screamed and locked her arms around Tsubasa tightly as the two of them were launched into the air suddenly. While the first-year was screaming, Tsubasa was laughing jovially and cheering, and when they landed back into the volleyball net, the volleyball players grinned down at their two new managers.

" _Welcome to Fukuroudani's volleyball team_! _Please take care of us_!"

Tsubasa's eyes glittered as Kaori went to grip her T-shirt. Akaashi watched the girl with lidded eyes and slightly-flushed cheeks as the girl threw her arms up in celebration and simply laughed. Kaori, on the other hand, jerked towards Sarukui and Komi with a huff.

"W-what the hell was that?!"

"It's like an welcoming ceremony, Bakaori!" Komi retorted. "Sheesh, have some respect!"

Sarukui nodded. "We're proud of it, you know."

"Hmph!"

Yukie smiled happily as she ended the video recording on her phone, just as the volleyball players set the two new managers on their feet. With a dreamy sigh, the third-year manager looked to the athletes.

"Finally, more girls. I wasn't sure I could handle another year by myself with you gross lot."

Komi smirked at her. "You would have still stayed though, right?"

"Probably."

"Yosh, let's go home!" Coach Yuuto cut in with a loud clap. "The gym's clean and night has fallen. You all have school tomorrow and more importantly, there _will_ be morning practice. Make sure you guys completed your homework, alright? And Tsubasa-san, you'll help manage morning practice with Akaashi-kun, right?"

Tsubasa nodded eagerly and clung to the vice-captain's arm, prompting him to stiffen with a stronger blush. "Yes! I'll do my best!"

Coach Yuuto grinned slightly at Akaashi before he clapped his hands once more. "Good. Now all of you, go home and get some rest! You've all earned it."

"Yes!"

* * *

Tsubasa yawned slightly as she stood at the school's front gates with the starters of the volleyball team and her fellow managers, while Akaashi stood at her side. They were all bidding each other goodnight, and while most of them were heading down the street to head to the train station, Bokuto was fiddling around on his phone. Tsubasa and Akaashi looked to him expectantly when he huffed, frowning slightly.

"Yo-nii and Ji-nee came home for Golden Week," Bokuto mumbled, stuffing his phone in his pocket. "Ma wants me home to see them."

Tsubasa sighed and let her shoulders droop in her new jersey. "Eh… Well, that's fine. You can sleep over whenever you want anyway. Tell them I said hi."

Bokuto stared at her intensely. "Do you really want me to?"

Akaashi blinked slowly at the sudden change in atmosphere, and he watched as the girl shrugged simply, almost carelessly. "It's fine. They'll find out sooner or later."

Bokuto pouted. Abruptly, he encased the girl within his arms and embraced her tightly, before he stepped back and slapped Akaashi's shoulder. The captain grinned brightly, and with his bag slung over his shoulder, he turned to walk the same direction the others had went.

"Then, I'm off! See you two in the morning!"

The girl gave a blink before she smiled and waved. "Make sure you sleep properly!"

"Yes, yes!"

And then he was gone. Tsubasa hummed and frowned slightly, before she turned to look up at Akaashi. "Well… I guess see you in the morning?"

The male blinked down at her slowly. "It's dangerous to walk alone at night. I'll walk you home."

Tsubasa perked up and smiled widely. "Okay!"

And they were on their way. Tsubasa hummed some nonsensical tune to fill the silence of the night between them, and with Akaashi's gaze focused in front of them, she snuck a quick picture of him as they passed a streetlight. _First time being walked home by a friend._ The sun was gone and stored away to make way for the moon, and the beams of light that fell upon the two teens had their eyes a brighter color than usual. Right by her side, but still letting her lead the way, Akaashi looked to her from the corner of his eye.

"The jersey suits you," he said, flickering his gaze back ahead of him. Tsubasa perked up and grinned immediately.

"Really?! I'm glad that it's baggy like this!"

To show for it once more, she gave the sleeves another series of flaps, prompting him to look at her once more. Akaashi's gaze softened at the sight, and he simply nodded. _Cute._ Silence fell between them once more. Curiously, Tsubasa turned and laid her eyes on his visage, and somehow, the moonlight against his dark hair and blue eyes had her muscles relaxing. Feeling her gaze on him, Akaashi looked to her.

"What?"

"You're okay with it?"

"With what?"

"My scars." The male blinked as she stood on the spot, prompting him to pause as well. Tsubasa frowned softly and locked her arms behind her back. "Are they okay?"

Akaashi stared at her silently. He then nodded firmly while maintaining eye contact. "Yes. They're okay. I'm okay with them."

"The tears too?"

He nodded once more. "The tears especially." Ah. Her eyes immediately glossed over and she pursed her lips. His eyes softened, and gently he asked, "Do you want to cry right now?"

"M-mhm."

"Go ahead."

"U-uwah…" Tsubasa pressed her balled-up fists against her eyes and walked forward blindly to press her forehead against the male's arm, something that had him blushing easily. She sniffed loudly and nuzzled her bangs into his jersey. "K-Keiji, I'm so happy…"

 _She puts up a strong front. I expected her to be the type that thinks crying is for the weak, but that's not the case._

"Why are you so happy?"

"B-because… I-I finally get to be a teenager… I don't have to leave anymore o-or pack my things and say g-goodbye to people…"

 _She simply needs reassurance._

Tsubasa looked up slowly, and with her chin resting against his arm, she smiled widely and squinted behind her glasses.

"I don't have to leave anymore!"

…ah. The male nodded as he embedded the sight before him into his permanent memory. He hesitantly lifted a hand up and patted her hair, prompting her to giggle happily. Oikawa's words echoed all around him suddenly.

" _Don't you have a crush on her?"_

"Yeah," Akaashi murmured then. Tsubasa opened her eyes just a bit more, and she blinked at the male's slight smile. "I'm glad."

Tsubasa blinked once more before she returned the smile. Akaashi gently removed her glasses from her face and wiped them clean when she leaned back on her heels to dab at her cheeks. He handed her her glasses.

"Let's get you home now, alright?"

"Okay."

Akaashi kept a watchful eye on the girl as they continued their way down the street, for their arms brushed against one another every now and then. Her irises were a lovely, light grey that was all too reminiscent of the moon hanging above them, and the combination of the moonlight and streetlights all around them literally had the girl glowing. He sighed softly at the warmth on his cheeks, but wore the slightest smile in that comforting darkness.

 _It's not a crush. Crushes never feel as serious as this. This… is different._

 _Probably._

* * *

He looked as though he had seen better nights, but with her own blurry vision and puffy eyes, the girl figured she didn't have the right to say anything. Tsubasa yawned widely before she squinted and rubbed at her eyes. Standing at her front door, at nearly one in the morning, was Kuroo, clad simply in his team's red sweatpants and a black shirt. They blinked slowly at each other.

" _No_ ," Kuroo said first with some melodramatic widening of his eyes. He ignored the giant sweater she wore, and especially ignored the way it revealed one shoulder and fluttered above her knees. "You were actually _asleep_? Maybe it'll start snowing."

Tsubasa rubbed at her eyes and gave some weak whine. "Are you for real."

"Yeah. Move aside or I'll manhandle you."

The girl grumbled but stepped aside anyway. Kuroo strode inside and kicked his shoes off to the side, before making his way to the girl's room and glancing around curiously. Tsubasa, after locking the door and turning out the lights of the entrance, plodded after him with another yawn.

"When'd you get back to Tokyo?" she mumbled after him.

"Around ten. Went home first with Kenma."

"Eh... Want drink?" she asked in broken Japanese as they entered her room, which was dark and illuminated only by the window above her futon. She made herself comfortable in her Totoro futon before he could answer, while Kuroo made himself comfortable at her kotatsu.

"Nah. Sorry for waking you."

Tsubasa shrugged and nuzzled into her pillow. "'s okay."

"Where's your dog?"

"Still with Uncle Sumi." She poked her eyes over the edge of her blanket then, and pouted childishly. "Don't come here in the middle of the night and not cuddle with me."

Ah. She violently patted the space in her futon expectantly. Kuroo stared at her for a silent minute before trotting over to the futon and crawling in beside her onto his stomach. Tsubasa's eyes closed peacefully from his familiar warmth, and she hummed as she drifted toward the land of sleep once more. Kuroo, with his lidded eyes, watched her entire form relax.

"Your little bro says hi, by the way," he said abruptly, crossing his arms in front of him and leaning his chin on top.

Instantly, Tsubasa's eyes snapped open and she looked to him. "You really saw him?"

"Yup." The male pulled his phone out of his pocket and show the girl the video he had taken earlier that day. She scowled at the content of the video, prompting Kuroo to snicker as he threw the device aside carelessly. "He's not bad at volleyball. Karasuno's a pretty good team considering how they all just came together. We won every match though."

"That's good. Was it fun?"

"Yeah. How about you? Was the training camp fun?"

"It was fun." Tsubasa whined and scooted closer to him to cling to his arm. "Tetsurou, it was so – _fucking_ – _fun_. Even with Oikawa-san, it was really fun."

"Heh~ Look at you, being a teen and all. I'm so proud."

The girl squealed with a sudden burst of energy and pulled his arm, shaking him to and fro excitedly. "I know right?! I'm really a teenager! I'm _really_ a teenager!"

Kuroo blinked at her as she continued shaking him on her side, and slowly, she stilled in her movements and began to drift off once more. The slightest, faintest dusting of pink on his cheeks was unseen in the darkness of her room.

"Is that what that journal is for?" he murmured, prompting the girl to pry her eyes open slowly. "That journal of firsts. Is it supposed to be proof that you're a teen?"

Tsubasa stared up at him with neutral grey eyes. She averted her gaze then and hid beneath the futon cover. "So what if it is? It's hard to remember things like that.

"I'm not condemning you for it," he responded, retreating under the cover as well and staring at her through the darkness. "I just don't like that you feel the need to prove it to yourself."

The girl was silent. Just a bit, her hands began to separate themselves from Kuroo's bicep. He grabbed her hand quickly. Their gazes locked despite the darkness. Tsubasa sighed softly and carefully maneuvered her hand so that her palm pressed up against his. She tapped her fingertips against his digits, and hummed.

"Your hands are so big now," she said softly. "You and Koutarou. You've both grown up so much. You guys are captains of powerhouses, you're both third-years, you're both really tall now… I wish I could have seen you guys grow up."

"Me too." The girl looked to his face. Kuroo pulled his hand away from hers and buried it within her thick hair, before running his fingers through the long locks. "You used to hate long hair. You used to hate the dark. You didn't always wear glasses. You didn't always have those piercings."

Tsubasa hummed softly and let her head drop onto the pillow. The fuzzy feeling that tickled her scalp due to the male playing with her hair had her dozing once more. She reached across and gently held his other hand.

"I really forgot you guys for a while, you know."

Kuroo paused in his ministrations, before he continued smoothly. "Ouch."

She smiled slightly at his simple response. "The shock of Tamotsu-nii-san's death and mom's abandonment had me in a horrible state; I forgot about my travels around the world, about you guys and volleyball, and just everything, honestly. I was all blank. If it weren't for Tobi-kun, and the family in Iwatobi, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

The young man settled his head against the girl's scalp. He drew soothing circles behind her ear with his thumb. "Seriously?"

"Mhm. Tobi-kun brought me back into volleyball, and when he did that, I began to remember you guys. And when I remembered you guys, I became a person again. I found my journals and remembered my travels and everything I had been doing. But I didn't have a journal for my childhood with you guys, so I struggled with fully remembering you guys."

Kuroo stared down at her face, and traced the shape of her white eyelashes. "So that's why you've got that journal of firsts, huh? So that you don't forget?"

Tsubasa nodded. "Mhm…" She pried her eyes open and peeked over the edge of the futon cover, where she pointed to the work-desk she had in the corner. "It's that blue journal over there. Go turn a light on."

The young man carefully separated himself from her and strode toward the desk, where he gently swiped the blue leather journal off the surface and turned the desk lamp on. Settling down beside Tsubasa once more, he unclipped the black strap and opened it slowly. The roughly-textured pages were yellow and blank for the most part, while different flags stuck out from the top and the side. Tsubasa scooted closer to him and leaned on her elbows.

"Let's see…" she mumbled, taking the journal from him and resting it in one palm. She pointed to a gold flag at the top of the journal. "So this gold one is for us four, while the copper one is for people I knew before but haven't seen in a while."

Kuroo grinned crookedly. "Like Old Man Akkey?"

"Yup, and the silver one is the same thing but with places." Tsubasa closed the journal and held it by its spine. She pointed to the flags sticking out from the side. "And here the green one is school related, the grey one is for volleyball club – which I just added, just so you know – and the yellow one is for my apartment… Oh, and the last one, the blue one, is for new friends and literal friendship goals." She handed the journal back to him.

Kuroo opened it carefully and navigated to the journal's first section. He blinked as he found a series of pictures of him and Kenma; written beside one picture was _'First time seeing Kenma and Tetsurou,'_ while written beside the last picture was _'First sleepover with these two.'_ There were more pictures of the dinner they had that day and of the day they visited the girl's apartment, all of them labeled accordingly with a title and a date. He gave a low whistle.

"When did you take these pictures?" he mumbled, turing to the next few pages where Bokuto began to appear.

Tsubasa, feeling the seriousness in his tone, dramatically flipped onto her back and pressed her hand against her forehead. "I'm your number one fan, Tetsurou-sama! Please allow me to continue stalking you!"

Ah. The male stiffened and turned to the next section, which was dedicated to other people from the past. _Dangerous words dangerous words dangerous words fuckin' control yourself man._ Seeing how that section was empty, he flipped to the silver section quickly.

"Damn, you really are stalking me," he muttered upon seeing pictures of his and Kenma's house, along with more pictures of the neighborhood. He took notice of a picture of Bokuto's old house. Kuroo smirked at her. "Tell me if you want dick pics. I don't mind giving you that first."

…ah. Tsubasa groaned and rolled back onto her side. " _Ugh_ , you're the worst! Don't taint my journal with your lack of action."

"I'll have you know that I've had a girlfriend or two in the past."

"But does that relationship still exist?"

"…point taken." Kuroo huffed and turned to the flags on the side. Finding himself in to the section about school, he hummed. _First day of class. First set of high school classmates. First time having morning duty. First high school homeroom teacher. First school tour._ "This is really detailed. And you seriously take pictures of all these moments? Don't people question you for it?"

Tsubasa shook her head and leaned her chin on his shoulder. "Nah. I do it as discreetly as possible. That's why some of the angles are weird."

 _Y-you say that, but they all look good to me._ Kuroo breezed through the volleyball section and poked fun at Bokuto's face, before continuing on. Upon seeing the section for her apartment was empty, he turned to the last section dedicated to any new friends and friendship goals. He paused at the picture of a certain black-haired setter, who was situated in the picture with a curious tilt of his head.

' _First friend.' Akaashi Keiji._

Kuroo looked to the next picture. It was of the setter once more, who was distracted with his food. Kuroo eyed the beautiful garden in the background.

' _First time having lunch with new friend.' Akaashi Keiji._

' _First time going to school in morning with friend.'_

' _F.T. having lunch in classroom.'_

' _HIS SIBLINGS ARE SO CUTE'_

' _FIRST NAME BASIS YES'_

' _Keiji'_

His heart shuddered. Kuroo painfully tore his gaze away from the past few pages, all of them filled with the setter, and looked down to the girl. She had relaxed against his arm at some point and was now asleep, snoring softly if at all. Kuroo gulped thickly and flipped back through the journal, and somehow, all the pictures of Akaashi Keiji, whether they were in the volleyball or school section, seemed to stand out much more than they should have.

Kuroo closed the thing slowly and set it down by the girl's pillow. He stared down at his hands.

 _They're just friends._

He laced his fingers together and fiddled with his thumbs. He looked to the girl once more.

 _They're classmates and seat-mates, so of course they're friends. And everyone else probably keeps their distance since… she's pretty now._

Kuroo averted his gaze quickly and trained his eyes on a nearby bookcase. He looked back to her slowly. The strands of his hazel irises, some of which were brown while the others were a pale green, shone longingly in the dim light of the desk lamp.

 _We're just friends._

The male sighed softly and held his face in his palms.

 _We're just friends._

He massaged his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Tsubasa shifted then, falling onto her side and thus dropping her head onto the pillow. Her hands, so small and calloused, clung to the sleeve of his shirt weakly. Kuroo looked to her once more, and when his hazel eyes caught the peaceful expression on her soft face, his own eyes softened. He scooted closer and tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear, before eventually dropping his hand back into her thick locks. Closer he scooted so that he could press his forehead against hers, and after pulling his fingers gently through her hair, he wrapped his arm around her back and hugged her. He nuzzled the girl's neck.

 _But I don't want to be just friends. I never did._

His arm tightened around her just a bit. Kuroo shifted once more so that his cheek rested against her hair, and after scooting even closer so that there was hardly an inch of space between them, he carefully maneuvered his other arm beneath her head. Kuroo rested his head on the pillow and traced the shape of her lips with his eyes. He sighed softly and forced his eyes shut.

 _I don't deserve any of this right now._

* * *

 _It was just an accident. He didn't mean to see that sight._

 _It was a dark day filled with grey clouds pregnant with rain. Kuroo, who was a first-year in high school at the time, was running home in order to avoid the predicted heavy rainfall. With Kenma sick at home, the male was able to take some shortcuts that were sure to get him home in at least ten minutes. Such shortcuts included trespassing through a few fenced backyards and trotting atop the dividing walls of a few neighbors like some cat. But the route was new to him, and ultimately, he somehow found himself in an alley located by some cemetery. Trotting out of the alley, Kuroo looked around to get a better idea of his surroundings, when he froze._

 _Up the street to his right, standing at the gates of the cemetery, was a girl. She was clad in all black, with some cheap-looking dress and cheap-looking flats and gloves, and a veil over her hair. Her hair, which was long and white, cascaded down her back freely and messily._

 _Kuroo's heart stopped and his jaw slackened._

" _Tsubasa…?" he murmured, his voice cracked and weak. The boy gulped and took a shaky step forward, before he froze once more._

 _There was a sleek black car situated behind the white-haired girl, and when the passenger door opened, a woman stepped out. She was clad in what looked like business clothes, and her hair was black and curly. Kuroo, recognizing the woman just a bit, ducked back into the safety of the alley. He cupped a hand around his ear and listened intensely._

" _Come back to the apartment when you're done."_

 _Kuroo bristled at the woman's voice and bit down on his lip. He peeked over the edge of the wall when he heard the car drove away, and found the white-haired girl standing there simply. The boy pursed his lips at her, just as she began to move. His eyes widened when she stepped into the cemetery, and all too suddenly, he was running after her._

Not again.

 _Kuroo tripped as he ran through the gates and looked around in a panic. He spotted the girl making her way around a cluster of bushes, and followed her quickly._

I don't want to lose you again.

 _Kuroo found the girl's image flickering in between the trees, almost as if she were a ghost, and somehow, he lost her. The boy glanced around with a twitching gaze, and when he continued trotting forward and around the cemetery's area, all while apologizing to those at rest, he froze again. A flash of white from the back, left-hand corner of the cemetery had him bolting._

 _Navigating his way around the tombstones and the trees, Kuroo suddenly found himself panting and standing a few feet behind the girl. Her veil was discarded somewhere, and her white hair shone in the darkness. Kuroo breathed a small breath of awe at the familiar girl, before his lips parted._

" _Tsu-"_

" _It's been a while." Kuroo perked up at her voice; it was dull and monotone, and while it was familiar, it was vastly foreign. He gulped, and nodded._

" _Y-yeah. It's been a-"_

" _Tamotsu-nii-san."_

 _The boy stilled. His eyes widened, just as the first drop of rain fell against his cheek._

Eh?

" _Mother…" the girl continued, completely unaware of the boy behind her, "said she wouldn't visit your grave. I'm sorry that it's only me. Even when we got you cremated, and picked your bones out, it was only me. I'm supposed to be going back to Nara to wipe off the red on your name on dad's tombstone. And then I'll put your ashes there too, so you can rest with dad."_

 _Kuroo's heart palpitated eccentrically, and he stepped back. His back bumped against the tombstone behind him, and he mumbled out a blind apology._

Tamo-nii… is dead?

" _Must be nice," the girl then mumbled, her shoulders drooping. "After all that time traveling, you get to rest with dad. I hope he's doing fine in heaven. I'm sure you two will have fun catching up. I…" The raindrops became a little more consistent, and suddenly, the girl's hair was shinier than usual. "I wish I could be there."_

 _The boy's hazel irises shrunk. He took an uneasy step forward, and as much as he wanted- as much as he desperately needed to capture the girl in his arms and embrace her, he couldn't._

 _His heart was too weak for such a bold action._

" _Y-you were right, Tamotsu-nii-san," the girl continued, her shoulders beginning to quake. "N-nothing… nothing has changed. Mother- that woman- she just brought us on that trip so that she could deceive us, right? That trip… was full of lies, wasn't it?!" Kuroo winced at her rise in volume. "Tamo-nii, did you know?! That woman was cheating on papa the entire time! Even before he was hospitalized! She always said she was working but she was really just hanging out with that guy! Did you know that?!"_

 _Tsubasa gripped the tombstone and raked her fingertips against it, while Kuroo fell back against the grave behind him and watched with horrified, stricken eyes. The girl's voice rose to some hysterical, high-pitched screech that had his head ringing and his heart breaking._

" _I knew! I knew the entire time! Did you know that? But I couldn't say anything- and I still can't say anything! So you're completely right!_ _ **Nothing has changed**_ _!" She wheezed and began laughing, and having bent over in the lowest form of a Japanese bow, Tsubasa scraped her forehead against the ground. "I-if I said something, you'd still be alive, right? If I said something, then we could have gotten help before papa died, right? Papa would probably still be alive, right? Can you believe that this is all my fault?"_

 _The rain was soaking everything at this point, Kuroo shook his head slowly, rapidly, but still, the words refused to come out. Tears leaked from his eyes and camouflaged themselves as raindrops. The girl took a minute to simply breathe in and out heavily, and each breath was audible with some screech-like sob. Tsubasa's manic smile began to deteriorate._

" _I-it's all my fault…" she whispered brokenly. "Ha… It's all my fault. It really is. Can you forgive me for this? It's all my fault that you died this way, you know? Papa too. So please… Please forgive me. I'm sorry. I-I'm sorry." Tsubasa took some sharp intake of breath as she gripped the tombstone and nuzzled her forehead against it. "I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm_ _ **sorry I'm sorry**_ _! I knew this entire time!"_

 _Kuroo stood shakily, hastily, and spun on his heels. Sobbing and crying himself, he dodged the tombstones as he blurred past them and made his way out of the cemetery._

 _Even as he ran, however, the girl's voice was loud against his eardrums._

" _Forgive me! Please! E-even though nothing has changed, please forgive me!"_

 _Even as he stumbled out the gates and pressed himself against the wall, he could hear her screaming against the tombstone._

" _It's only me! Forgive me! Papa, Tamo-nii, please forgive me!"_

 _And even as he ran down the street, even as he bumped into other pedestrians and ran into corners and found himself in the safety and solitude of his room, he could still see her breaking down before him._

" _ **Nothing has changed**_ _!"_

* * *

Kuroo gasped sharply as his eyes snapped open. Sunlight streamed in from the window above him and his phone, situated a few feet away, buzzed noisily with an alarm. The male exhaled slowly and hugged a familiar warmth tightly against his chest, nuzzling his face into it and wrapping his legs around it. When the male was calm enough to see clearly, he leaned back curiously and found a shiny head of white obscuring most of his vision.

Ah. He blinked.

 _Oh yeah._

Kuroo relaxed into the futon and ignored his phone; he figured Tsubasa would be fine when he remembered she was a heavy sleeper, so he laid there simply with her in his arms. He gave another sigh and pressed his chin into the top of her head.

 _I really don't deserve this._

* * *

 **word count: 9,420**

 **a/n: Oh man I'm sorry I didn't write an update in the last chapter! For those of you worried about how Hurricane Irma effected me, just know everything's good now! My power was out for a week, but it's all back to normal.**

 **Anyway, like always, thanks for reading! Just a quick announcement, I'm gonna be making a new story for omakes for _realeyes_! I wrote a lot for this chapter and had to cut a scene out because it went over my personal word limit T_T, so look forward to that around next week. First chapter will be a wiki-style character page for Tsubasa, and then it'll get to the real omakes ;)**

 **And finally, the training camp is over! Lol nothing really happened in this chapter, sorry if anyone was disappointed. For future reference, in case you guys don't know, some tombstones in Japanese cemeteries have the names of the living family of that dead person painted in red so that visitors know who is still alive. Just like... fyi.**

 **Okay I gotta get to class lmao. Have a good day you guys, and as always, thank you for reading and loving! Take care of yourselves!**

 **-glasses cloth**


	10. 10

**10 you make me want to fall because i want you to catch me**

 _The wake and the funeral went by in a blur. The young boy stood like some statue as he watched the coffin being consumed by the crematorium, and with his eyes wide and his irises all too watchful, the close and intense heat had his face feeling stiff. His tears were nowhere to be seen. Akaashi Keiji, who was only nine at the time, watched with dried, black eyes as he held his younger brother against his chest, who was sobbing beyond control into his neck. Beside him, his father embraced a month-old infant carefully but tightly, as the little infant, also known as Akaashi Miwa, was the last thing the mother and wife left the family. The man looked down to his eldest son, and he reached a hand down to squeeze his shoulder. The boy pursed his lips, but otherwise kept a blank face._

" _We'll be fine, Keiji," the man said softly as the heat licked his tears away. "From now on, I'll have to rely on you a bit more than usual… B-but we're gonna be just fine."_

 _Keiji nodded simply, just as Akaashi Isao slightly poked his face out from his older brother's neck. His pale green irises caught the last foot of the coffin being swallowed up by flames, and quickly, Keiji pressed a hand against the back of Isao's head and forced the boy's face back into the safety of his neck._

" _Don't look," Keiji murmured softly but firmly. "Don't let the heat dry out your tears."_

 _Ah. And the 7-year-old was sobbing once more, pulling the black dress shirt of his older brother. The crematorium then shut with some daunting, heavy slam that had their hearts shattering into millions, but otherwise fixable parts._

* * *

Akaashi stared down at the girl silently with pursed lips as she rambled about how excited she was for morning practice. The two, having made plans the night before, had met up at Powder so that the girl could, first of all, see his siblings, and secondly so that they could walk to school together – since there was morning practice, after all. But he felt the slightest bit uncomfortable due to his questionable recollection of what happened (or of what didn't happen) earlier that morning.

He was just on his regular morning jog and decided to take a longer route this time, where he passed by the front of Tsubasa's apartment building. There, at ten minutes passed six, he could have sworn he saw some familiar rooster-headed cat-man trotting down the stairs quietly – and he would have bet his _life_ that their eyes locked in the moment before the second-year figured it was just a figment of his imagination.

(Which was still odd, because why would Nekoma's captain be in his mind in the first place?)

((Why did he decide to take a different route in the first place? Was fate pushing him in that direction? _Did Akaashi Keiji even believe in things like fate?_ ))

He kept quiet, however, and figured that it didn't matter so long as the girl beside him was happily rambling as per usual.

(But then he thought that maybe she was happily rambling _because_ Kuroo was there.)

((Which led to him comparing the current moment to all the previous times she happily rambled and seeing if anything in particular was different.))

(((He paid too much attention to her happy ramblings.)))

"Oh that's right!" Tsubasa exclaimed suddenly, whirling to him and slapping his arm. The male blinked in surprise at the bright, excited gleam in her eyes. "Keiji, I heard that Nekoma's coming over this weekend! Is that true?!"

Again, he blinked. "No. They're coming next weekend."

Ah. She visibly slouched and frowned as the shine went away. "Oh…"

Akaashi stared at her. His throat tingled with a vaguely-familiar prickly sensation and he nearly frowned. "Where's your jersey?"

…ah. The girl immediately brightened and pulled the thing out of her bag to hold it above her head like a flag. "Owl _(Fukurou)_!"

The male smiled slightly. _She's easily excitable and just as easy to bring down when it comes to things she cares about._ "Dani."

And she was grinning even brighter at him as she hugged the jersey to her chest. "That's right!"

"Aw~ Look at you two finishing each other's sentences."

The two second-years paused right before the school's gates to look over their shoulders. Tsubasa smiled as her eyes fell upon Konoha and Komi, both of them grinning cheekily, while Akaashi held back a scowl.

"Mornin', Konoha-san and Komiyan-san!" Tsubasa greeted happily while the male simply nodded.

"Morning~" the two of them greeted as they slung their arms around the girl, effectively pushing Akaashi aside. They directed their smirks at the male. "What're you two up to?"

"On our way to morning practice!" the girl chirped.

"Together?" they both questioned, wagging their eyebrows at the vice-captain.

Akaashi deadpanned. "We live in the same area. It only seemed natural."

Komi huffed and pouted, seemingly drawing himself closer to the clueless girl. "Don't tell me you're not gonna do anything about this."

Konoha nodded and laid his cheek atop her head. "Yeah. Don't you feel some annoying prickly feeling?"

Akaashi blinked at them slowly. His gaze flickered away for the briefest second, almost as if he didn't know what to say or how to react, before he looked to them once more with a hand on his hip and his head tilted slightly. "So what if I do?"

Ah. And he was turning on his heel, continuing through the front gates. Tsubasa, having gotten distracted by some heart-shaped cloud, called his name innocently and trotted after him quickly, leaving the two third-years blinking blankly. Konoha smirked suddenly and pointed to the duo as they continued their conversation.

"Two weeks," he reminded the shorter third-year, who growled in response and slapped his finger away.

"A month!"

"Your loss~"

"Yo, Konoha, Komiyan!"

The two of them looked over their shoulders, where they found Bokuto standing alongside Washio and Sarukui. They nodded at the three of them with welcoming smiles.

"You guys ready for morning practice?!" the captain asked energetically, hopping ahead of the group. When he spotted Akaashi and Tsubasa up ahead, he perked up and moved to run up to the two, only to pause. Still smiling, he blinked blankly at the single inch of space between their shoulders.

 _They really get along well._

"Aren't they cute? They grow up so fast," Konoha commented with a dramatic sniffle. "You wanna join the bet, Bokuto? My money's on two weeks."

Bokuto blinked again and turned to the male slowly. Konoha tilted his head at the captain's wide stare. "Two weeks for what?"

Komi huffed and crossed his arms. "For Akaashi to realize his feelings. Saru and I got our bets on a month."

Washio sighed softly and continued on. "You shouldn't make bets on these types of feelings. You're only thinking of Akaashi, after all. Have you thought about how Tsubasa-san feels?"

Konoha carelessly stuffed his hands into his pockets and trotted forward as well, prompting the others to follow their lead. Bokuto stood on the spot, staring at their backs. "Oh c'mon! I'm sure the feeling's mutual. Right, Bokuto?"

"No."

The lot of them paused and looked back at their captain. Bokuto stared at Konoha with intense, large eyes on some fiercely-blank expression. They blinked.

"Tsubasa definitely won't return his feelings," the male said simply. "She doesn't believe in feelings like that." Bokuto trotted through the group, and as he passed Konoha, he said to the male with the slightest glower, "Don't push them together like that."

Konoha blinked rapidly at the subtle threat as he and the other third-years watched their captain run up to the two second-years in question to tackle the both of them in a hug. The male hummed quietly.

"Even if you say that," he murmured to himself, "that's not gonna stop Akaashi from feeling anything."

* * *

Tsubasa smiled widely as she stared down at the brand new notebook she had dedicated to morning practice, which was a nice pastel pink patterned with white stripes and little chibi Ponyos. Morning practice was just about an hour and a half long; it was all about getting and maintaining the athletic bodies of a nationally strong team, and included various workouts and timed exercises that had the volleyball players slightly sore. Akaashi watched her as she gave it a brief hug with rosy cheeks and squinting eyes. He looked down to the girl's bag then and took notice of the folded, light blue tracksuit poking out from the zipper.

"You got your tracksuit?" he asked, prompting the girl to turn her blinding expression to him. "That's good, considering we have gym in the morning today."

Tsubasa shrugged and put away the notebook, still smiling happily to herself. "I guess. It doesn't really matter to me since I can't participate."

Akaashi blinked at her as his mind tingled. "Because of your anemia?"

"Yeah. It's not as bad as it sounds though. I'd just... rather not take the chance."

The male stared at her quietly, just as their handsome homeroom teacher came strolling in. "If you say so."

"Yosh~ morning everyone! Let's start off with some role call!"

As soon as everyone was accounted for, the lot of them were heading to the gyms alongside a few other classes of the same grade. Tsubasa changed by herself in the bathrooms before making her way to the gym, where she found a majority of the students outside and waiting on instructions. After they all stretched, the gym teacher nodded to Tsubasa and let her off the hook.

The white-haired girl gave a bored sigh as she sat off to the sidelines of the track. All around her, whether it be on the track itself or on the soccer field surrounded by the track, her schoolmates ran around with soccer balls or walked relaxed laps. Tsubasa, on the other hand, was seated on the grassy hill that looked over the activities just a bit, with her knees drawn up to her chest and her eyes closed simply. Akaashi, located amidst his classmates on the soccer field, shot the girl a brief look every now and then to see if she had done anything, and when he saw her sitting there like a still-life, he sighed softly. He wiped at the sweat on his face as a classmate slapped his back and commended him for the point he just scored.

"As expected of the school's idol!" the classmate said, before running back with the rest of their temporary teammates. Akaashi nodded in response, and after sending one more glance to the girl, he followed after them.

Back with Tsubasa, the girl gave another sigh before she fell onto her back. In doing so, she found her eyes staring up at the morning sky above her, and having nothing else to do, she looked out for any oddly-shaped clouds. Her eyes, a lovely light grey in the sunlight, twinkled as they latched onto a small cloud drifting over head. Down below, Akaashi's classmates cheered as the second-year scored them another point.

 _Ah. Another heart._

* * *

"Ah~ finally!" Tsubasa cried while stretching her arms out before like a cat. The lunch bell chimed softly in the background and gave the signal for students and teachers alike to fill their stomachs. While a majority of the classmates stood hesitantly and watched Tsubasa and Akaashi curiously, both of which were oblivious to their staring, the girl turned to him with a blinding smile. "So, where to?"

Akaashi shrugged as he pulled his bento out. "Wherever is fine. It feels as though it's been a while since we had lunch like this."

Tsubasa nodded and retrieved her own bento, this time wrapped in a solid pink cloth with Jiji the cat in the corner. "Right? It feels different when I'm being a manager and you're being a vice-captain." The girl stood briskly and looked to him expectantly. "Let's go!"

Akaashi, with his eyes warmly lidded just a bit, nodded simply and stood as well, and side-by-side, the two moved to leave the classroom. A classmate called out to them suddenly, just as Akaashi trotted ahead to open the door for the girl. They paused and looked over their shoulders, and found the kid named Tadashi staring after them with pursed lips and furrowed brows. Akaashi met his gaze.

"What is it?" Akaashi asked, his hand on the door. Tadashi fidgeted on the spot, but seeing the small space between the two students gave him the push he needed to ask them the question everyone had on their minds.

"Are you two dating?"

Ah. The two of them blinked. Akaashi, despite the light blush against his cheeks, said in complete unison with Tsubasa, "No. Why?"

" _What do you mean why_?!" the classmates shot back. A girl with short black pigtails stood and frowned at them as well.

"You guys walk to school together, you probably walk home together too, and you always have lunch together!"

Another girl stood, this time some brunette with long locks. "Akaashi-kun, you've never been so talkative before. You usually only talk to us when it's about schoolwork."

Tadashi nodded and crossed his arms. "That's right! You two are always glued together, it's hard for some of us to have lunch in the classroom now! Y-you guys don't own this place, you know."

The duo blinked simply once more. Tsubasa bowed her head then, just as Akaashi pushed the door open after nodding himself.

"Then we'll be sure to have lunch elsewhere. See ya!"

"Wait!"

Tsubasa gave a ragged sigh and slouched over, drooping her arms in front of her. "What now? We already answered your question, and your logic isn't even sound. You're killing our lunchtime!"

The brunette girl from earlier frowned severely at the white-haired girl's words, and she crossed her arms and jutted a hip out. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Tsubasa sighed once more and stood, raising a knowledgeable finger. "Say you have a girl who has a friend who is female. They both walk to school together, they walk home together, and they have lunch together. Would you think they're dating?"

"Well... no, because they're both girls!"

"So are you saying two girls can't date?"

The brunette stiffened, her eyes widening. "N-no, but... that's different!"

"Why?" Tsubasa stood up straight and dropped her hand, and she stared at the classmates with large, owlish eyes. "Why does gender have to dictate a situation? Why does gender change a friendship? Why is gender such a deciding factor? There's this thing called platonic love, alright, and it's pure, unadulterated friendship between individuals despite race or gender or anything. It's a bond between two humans. Why is it so hard to accept that we have that sort of bond?"

The classmates were speechless. Akaashi, with Tsubasa's words and strong defiant tone ringing in his head, stepped away from the door and place a hand on Tsubasa's shoulder. She stepped back, allowing the male to take his turn to address their classmates.

"Tsubasa-san has a point," he started. "Gender isn't such an intense deciding factor, or at the very least, it shouldn't be. Tsubasa-san is my friend. That's all."

"W-well, what about me?" Tadashi prompted then. "W-we're friends, aren't we? Why don't you have lunch with me and the other guys for once?"

"No." The answer was quick and firm. Akaashi looked to Tadashi pointedly. "Tadashi, I don't consider us friends. I have forgiven, but I have not forgotten." Tadashi's eyes widened just a bit at the statement, and he averted his gaze in shame. Tsubasa tilted her head confusedly. "Furthermore, Tsubasa-san would feel awkward being with the girls for lunch now that we're having this talk, and I would feel bad for leaving her alone. So if you'll excuse us, we'll be leaving to have lunch together. You're free to take back the classroom, since we apparently took it at some point. Let's go, Tsubasa-san."

Tsubasa perked up as Akaashi opened the door for her, and after blinking at him, she turned back to their classmates. She blinked at their downtrodden expressions innocently.

"No offense or anything," Tsubasa said, "but you guys were the ones to ask the question. We simply answered it. It's nothing personal."

And then the girl was trotting through the doorway, holding her bento above her head and cheering _'Lunch~!'_. Akaashi, after closing the door briskly, followed after her.

"So where are we off to?" he asked her, gently taking her bento from her outstretched arms to hold it for her. The girl beamed at him.

"Let's go somewhere beautiful!"

* * *

"That was a surprise," Tsubasa commented as she finally unwrapped her bento. The two of them were seated at the marble table in the back of the school garden, and thankfully, there were no more disruptions to interrupt or disturb them. Tsubasa adjusted her chopsticks in her hand. "I didn't think our classmates really watched us like that. We've just gotten back from Golden Week too."

Akaashi nodded after saying thanks. "I was a bit surprised as well."

"Are you irritated?"

The male paused, just as he was about to pick at his rice. He looked across the table to find Tsubasa staring at him curiously, with her elbows on the table and her face in her palms.

"Keiji, even though I've only known you for a few weeks, I feel comfortable telling you lots of personal stuff," Tsubasa began, and at that moment, her eyes softened at him warmly. "I'm even comfy crying in front of you. You have no idea what that means to me. So if you ever wanna talk about personal stuff with me, you're free to. I said I wanna know more about you anyway."

Akaashi held her gaze for a silent minute. In those sixty seconds, seemingly everything negative he had experienced and witnessed became bearable, and he sighed softly. His eyes, despite his annoyance, brightened to an intense blue.

"It was a bit irritating," he admitted quietly. "Tsubasa-san, you noticed on your first day of school that I was popular and idolized. It's irritating to think our classmates have the audacity to question why there is distance between us when they were the ones who created that distance in the first place."

Tsubasa's eyes widened just a bit as everything clicked into place in her mind. "I see. And I bet you just act polite to maintain that distance, right? Because who would want to be friends with people who would label you like that at first glance?"

The male nodded. "Yes. My thoughts exactly."

Tsubasa hummed as she sat up straight and glanced down at her lunch; it was white rice with deep-fried pork cutlets, with stir-fried vegetables and sweet potato korokke on the side. She smiled. "Keiji, maybe we're twins at heart."

Akaashi tilted his head at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well~" Tsubasa's smile grew small as memories flooded into her mind. "When I was a kid, people used to think I looked like a freak because of my hair. But now, everyone thinks I'm really pretty _because_ of my hair. People are so fickle, you know?"

Akaashi stared at her quietly. Tsubasa hummed gleefully as she bit into the sliced cutlets, her cheeks turning rosy at the delicious, savory juiciness of the meat. The male's cheeks dusted over with pink, and his eyes became lidded with warm endearment.

 _"Keiji, I wanna know more about you."_

"I knew Tadashi in junior high," Akaashi said, finally moving to pick at his own lunch. Tsubasa looked to him. "But we weren't friends. He was a bully, I suppose. Back then, I was picked on since I'm originally from a small town in the Wakayama Prefecture. I recall being called a country bumpkin, but not in an endearing way."

Tsubasa's eyes lit up and she leaned forward in interest, before she quirked a brow and frowned. "Really? And he said you guys were friends?"

"Yes. That itself was irritating. But even more than that..." Akaashi paused from picking up a clump of rice, and somehow, a weight that had been dragging his heart down for the past seven years or so began to tear at the seams and separate itself from his entire being. He looked to the curious girl, and their bright irises gleamed into each other. "I was called a 'mama's boy' and teased a lot for rushing home every day to take care of my siblings. My father was always busy at work, and my mother had passed away a year or two before junior high. It was horrible irony."

Tsubasa's eyes widened and she stilled. "Eh? P-people called you a mama's boy when your mother had..."

"Yes." Akaashi returned his gaze to his food. "Tadashi was one of those people."

The girl's fingers tightened around her chopsticks suddenly, and she tutted and lowered her own gaze. "People are horrible. That's cruel. We should take that punk's stuff and throw it out a window and then set it on fire."

"It's fine; I've already said I've forgiven but not forgotten."

"How about we set his stuff on fire first and then throw it out a window and drizzle more oil on it?"

"It's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure that's illegal, after all."

"...so are you saying you'd do it if it wasn't illegal?"

Akaashi stared at her, before he averted his gaze almost sheepishly. "Well... I'm sure if it was legal then it wouldn't really hurt anyone."

Tsubasa laughed at his reasoning and nodded, wiping away a tear. "That's true, that's true! Oh!" Tsubasa moved to pick at one of the sweet korokke in her bento, and she picked up the oval-shaped thing easily and offered it to the male. "Keiji, how do you feel about sweet potato korokke? Uncle Sumi makes them really really well!"

The male tilted his head curiously. "Can korokke be made with sweet potatoes? Sweet potatoes are usually a lot softer than normal potatoes, aren't they?"

The girl gave a high-pitched gasp and placed the flat oval thing atop what little rice he had left, prompting him to flush slightly. She then retracted her arm and watched him expectantly with large eyes and a wide smile. Akaashi looked to her.

"Are you sure?"

"It's fine, it's fine. If you like it, then uncle will make more."

"I see. Then..." Akaashi reached for the small, deep-fried oval of mashed sweet potatoes, and after finishing it in one bite, his cheeks warmed and his eyes glittered. The male pressed the tip of his chopsticks against his lips. "It's good."

"Right?!" Tsubasa giggled as she sat back, crossing her arms atop the table and resting her chin on top. "You can have the rest. I'm already full."

Akaashi blinked at her before looking down to the rest of her bento; although the pork cutlet and the vegetables were entirely gone, only a fourth of the rice was missing while two more pieces of korokke sat in wait. He returned his eyes to her face, and he deadpanned.

"You barely ate the rice."

"Meat makes me really full! I can't help it..." Tsubasa pouted then. "And I'm sure you're still hungry. You eat a lot. I learned from the training camp."

Ah. Akaashi's cheeks dusted over slightly and briefly, he averted his gaze. "Well... You're not wrong, I suppose." He looked to her once more. "Are you sure you're not hungry anymore?"

"Mhm~ My stomach will start hurting if I keep eating, so go ahead."

The male bowed his head. "Thank you." And the boy was reaching for her rice, and in doing so, his hands began to warm and he found his stomach feeling oddly full simply from the girl's offer. Tsubasa smiled at him.

"So what town from Wakayama are you from?" she asked, her smile turning fond at the crumbs on the corner of his lips.

"Isao and I were born in our father's hometown, Kushimoto, but Miwa was born here in Tokyo. In our old home, you could see the ocean from the window."

Tsubasa's eyes widened excitedly as she beamed at the information. "Could you really? That's so cool!"

The male nodded, almost smiling at her bright face. "Yeah. It rains a lot there and the risk of typhoons is high, but it's a very peaceful town when the weather is good. The ocean is beautiful there." Akaashi tilted his head curiously at her. "Do you like the ocean?"

The girl's eyes softened and she relaxed back into her slouching pose. She nodded. "I love it. Beaches are really nice, and I love playing in the sand, but I love the ocean. So many people are afraid of it, you know? The waves get scary when it storms, there's practically no floor beneath the surface, and it's so wide and open. But that's what I love about it." Tsubasa leaned onto her cheek and closed her eyes peacefully, just as the sound of waves churning against one another played blissfully in the depths of her mind. Akaashi stopped eating to watch and listen to her go on. "The ocean is so big and _vast_ and it goes on forever. There are so many living creatures beneath the surface and they all communicate with each other and thrive - all in the ocean. It's a completely different world that we know next to nothing about, and so many people fear it. But that's what makes it all the more amazing."

Tsubasa's eyes opened slowly, and her grin, so soft and wide, eliminated any lingering feelings of doubt the male had. Akaashi, having unconsciously rested his cheek in his palm to comfortably watch the girl, blinked slowly as shooting stars and whales flew all around her small figure and casted her in a light that was wholly angelic and surreal. The garden and the flowers in the background were suddenly dotted with brightly-twinkling stars and glowing jellyfish, and as rainbow-colored nebulas clouded their reality and massive groups of heart-shaped stingrays migrated into their little world, something grew within the chambers of Akaashi's heart. In that moment, it bloomed into miles and miles of vines and leaves that shot out from his chest and embraced his existence, and as the vines locked his head in place so that he wouldn't have the option to look away from the girl in front of him, he concluded that he never would even if he wanted to.

 _Ah._

"Because when a whale bursts through the surface, or when an gigantic collection of golden stingrays migrating makes the surface light up, people see the ocean as something beautiful and amazing and _spectacular_!" Tsubasa continued, her eyes squinting slightly behind her glasses. "And in that moment, no one's afraid of it anymore. Even if that feeling doesn't last, the admiration you feel when seeing something from that world burst into your world is simply amazing."

 _I don't have a crush on her._

Tsubasa closed her eyes once more. "I'd like to be like that one day. Nurturing to my own world, and genuinely beautiful to the outside every now and then."

 _This is something much more than that._

The girl looked up to the male then, grinning tenderly as the silvery moons of her irises pulled the waves of the ocean in his eyes closer and closer to something beautifully dangerous. "Am I weird for that?"

Akaashi shook his head slowly, his eyes filled with underwater stars that shone in the sunlight breaking through the translucent walls.

"Not at all."

 _What is the name of this feeling, I wonder?_

* * *

Practice was over for the day at nearly ten in the evening. Akaashi, who seemed oddly out of it before, during, and after practice, pressed his back against the door of his home.

The door shut quietly and after he locked the thing blindly, he stood there somehow dazed and dreamy. He murmured beneath his breath, "I'm home," as he slowly kicked his shoes off and set them aside properly. In doing so, he took notice of a shiny but bruised pair of leather shoes that were just about the same size of his own shoes. Akaashi's eyes widened and he bolted down the corridor. He slid atop the wooden floorboards as he stood at the doorframe of the living room, which was connected to the kitchen and the dining room in a large, single space. A tall man, with broad shoulders and smooth black hair, stood at the stove and tossed rice in a giant wok. Akaashi's tired shoulders sagged and his eyes grew shiny.

"Father, welcome home!" the male greeted, dropping his schoolbag and duffel-bag on the floor and trotting into the giant room. The man, also known as Akaashi Yoshiaki, looked up wth a start. Pale green irises found the eager expression of his eldest son, and the man grinned widely.

"There's my eldest son! Gosh, I didn't hear you come in!" the man said in lieu of greeting as he turned and spread his arms open. "Keiji, welcome home!"

Akaashi nearly stumbled as he rushed to embrace the man, whom he hadn't seen for a little over two weeks. Yoshiaki sighed happily as he returned the strong hug with ten times the strength, and he soothingly patted his eldest son's back in a long-deserved moment of pure peace.

"You get taller and buffer every time I see you, I swear," Yoshiaki commented with a grin, before he slapped Akaashi's shoulders and gave him the gentlest push. "Alright, let me see how much you've grown this time."

The boy took a step back and, after quickly wiping at his eyes with the sleeve of his blazer, stood up straight. Yoshiaki's smile turned soft and tender at his son's face, which seemed much more mature than last time. What stood out the most, however, was the intense gleam of his son's blue irises, which he had come to know as more of a dark navy rather than a deep ocean sort-of blue. Yoshiaki's smile grew wide.

"You're growing up well, my boy," the man said, squeezing Akaashi's shoulder briefly. "Your eyes look brighter somehow. Did you meet a pretty girl?"

Ah. Akaashi's face lit up instantly, prompting the man to smirk.

"Ooh~ What's her name, how tall is she, and when and where and how did you meet?"

Akaashi's blush intensified. "I-I'll tell you about her later."

"Oh ho ho! So there _is_ a girl!"

"A- _anyway_ , when did you get back?" Akaashi frowned softly, tilting his head inquiringly. "Have you seen Isao and Miwa yet? Isao has been upset recently-"

Yoshiaki settled a hand atop his son's head and ruffled his curly black locks. "Don't worry, I greeted them both when they got home. I got back around five."

Akaashi's eyes widened. "Really? I could have left practice early-"

"Nope, no can do. That's been Isao's problem recently, you know." Yoshiaki sighed softly as he turned back to the stove, where he turned it off after giving the fried rice one last flip. Akaashi's stomach growled hungrily. "Go change and put your stuff away first, alright?"

"Okay."

After Akaashi settled down and found himself in simple sweats and a T-shirt, the boy sat at the table with a full plate of steaming fried rice right in front of him. Yoshiaki smiled warmly as he watched his son eat, and sitting right across from the 16-year-old, he rested his chin in his palm blissfully.

"So who's this girl, hm?"

...ah. Akaashi choked on the rice and began punching his chest. "F-friend. Classmate. Seat-mate. She's a new manager for the volleyball team."

"Ooh~ that's exciting." _So flustered. I've never seen him like this because of a girl._ Yoshiaki hummed as the boy returned to his meal, albeit with a slower and more cautious pace. The man sighed softly then. "Well, Isao was both very upset and very happy to see me. I'm sorry I couldn't come home during Golden Week."

Akaashi quickly shook his head, wiping his cheek. "It's fine. Masumi-san was a huge help with looking after Miwa and Isao."

Yoshiaki sighed once more, and he frowned gently. "Ah... Sumi-san, huh? I hate that he's taking care of my kids more than I am, but I'm eternally grateful to him for it. But it seems, my dear son, that something has escaped you."

The boy blinked at his father quickly, before he tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I got a call while at work," the man continued, leaning back in his chair, "from Isao's basketball club coach. Coach-san said that the team's current vice-captain had to retire due to personal reasons, and that he was considering making Isao vice-captain. But..."

"But?"

"Apparently during Golden Week, Isao never stayed the night at his school with his teammates, and went home every day to take care of Miwa."

Akaashi's eyes widened slightly as he lowered his fork. "I checked Miwa every morning during Golden Week and saw him there, so I figured he was doing the same thing as me. I didn't know he stayed the night at home though." The male frowned and he averted his gaze. "Why would he keep that from me?"

Yoshiaki hummed as his irises shone with calculation. "Well... I did my own investigating, but I think that's between the two of you to solve as brothers. Anyway, I've got some more news."

The male stiffened slightly. "Is it good or bad news?"

Yoshiaki grinned. "I'd say it's pretty good news. The job transfer I sent in was approved."

Akaashi perked up, his eyes twinkling as he nearly smiled. "Really?"

"Yup~ But before I get to be a security guard at Miwa's elementary school, I have to complete a few months of formal duty over in Western Tokyo."

Akaashi blinked. "Eh? They're transferring you out before the real transfer?"

"Yeah. They were planning to transfer me there anyway, so I guess they're just sticking with the original plan until I finally transfer out." Yoshiaki frowned softly. "But that means that I'll be gone again, and longer this time. Thankfully this is the last time it'll be like this with our family, but until the end of August, can you continue to hold the fort down, my son? I'll do my best to visit, but my boss said they've prepared a temporary dorm for me, so I assume I'll be busier than ever there. I've always hated to ask this of you, especially since you've been doing so much since you were young, but this is the last stretch, I promise you. Is it okay for me to continue to ask you to look after things here?"

Akaashi nodded quickly. "Of course. It's not like you're asking much of me; it's only natural I look after my siblings since I'm the oldest."

The man gave a small nod and grinned crookedly, his pale green eyes shining fondly beneath black locks. "I suppose. Well, I wanna surprise Isao and Miwa with this, so don't say anything, alright? Now tell me about this girl who's got you all star-struck!"

Ah. The boy's face flushed as he nodded slowly, dropping his gaze down to the remnants of his friend rice.

"Her name is Tsubasa-san. She's Masumi-san's niece."

Yoshiaki blinked as he retained his smile. "Eh? Sumi-san's niece? Then that... makes her father Teru-san, right?"

Akaashi blinked back. Somehow, the name tingled in his mind and was almost familiar. _Almost_. "Teru-san?"

The man's eyelids fluttered once more, before he waved a hand flippantly. _He was pretty young, so I guess he wouldn't remember. Especially since his mother passed away shortly after their meeting._ "Nothing, nothing~ Tell me more about this Tsubasa-san!"

"Eh... Um, well..."

 _He hasn't touched his violin in years._

* * *

They were in the garden once more. Somehow, the entire week flew by and it was already Friday. Tsubasa's and Akaashi's classmates were more or less avoiding them unless they needed to communicate about homework, which was fine since it was like that even before that awkward class discussion and it didn't affect the two in the slightest. Akaashi's father had left on Wednesday with a suitcase and a clean uniform, kissing each of his children goodbye for the moment and smiling brightly. Isao's strained and dim smile was easily detected by both Akaashi and Miwa, and just a bit, the little girl frowned to herself while the eldest sibling simply averted his gaze. Now on Friday at a stress-relieving lunch, his father's words echoed in his mind loudly.

 _"I think that's between the two of you to solve as brothers."_

Akaashi's eyes narrowed slightly. _Did I do something to upset him? I'm sure I've been watching him as close as usual. What did I miss?_

"Keiji?" The male looked up. He found Tsubasa sitting across from him with her cheek in one hand while the other held a milk carton up to her face. She sipped at it slowly, watching him with curious grey eyes. "What's wrong?"

Akaashi held her stare silently. He was too close to naturally saying _'Nothing, everything's fine,'_ but somehow, that instinctive response was stalled when he remembered completely who he was talking to. His eyes flickered away and he held his chin in his hand.

"Tsubasa-san, if you found out your little brother was hiding something from you, what would you do?" he asked her, his eyes eventually jumping back to her. Tsubasa blinked, and she hummed.

"I'd get him his favorite food or drink," she began slowly, lowering her milk carton as she emptied it. "And sit down with him one night and ask if everything was okay. I wouldn't force Tobi-kun to talk about something if he wasn't ready to, so I'd do that every now and then just to check up on him." Akaashi hummed at her response, prompting the girl to tilt her head. "Did something happen with Isao?"

"I suppose," Akaashi answered. "My father came home recently and said Isao was having trouble with his basketball club. Apparently he went home every night during Golden Week rather than staying at the school to take care of Miwa."

Tsubasa blinked and tilted her head even more. "Is that against the rules?"

"No. He has the option of going home for the night since we live so close by. But the fact he did that just to take care of Miwa is odd."

"Oh, really? Why do you think he did that?"

Akaashi stared off into the rose hedges surrounding them. Tsubasa watched as differing shades of blue tangled and collied within his irises, and ultimately the intense gleam she had gotten so accustomed to faded into a dark, dull shade of navy. He sighed softly.

"I have an idea," he murmured, before turning to their table and looking down at his empty bento. He closed the wooden box and carefully wrapped it in the blue and white checkered cloth. "He's worried about Miwa for some reason, that's for sure. Why now all of a sudden, I'm not sure. But right now, he reminds me of myself when I was in junior high."

Tsubasa's eyes softened as the male's dark irises. "Why is that?"

"Because he's doing what I did." Akaashi closed his eyes slowly as certain memories resurface in his mind. "He's making moves to sacrifice his youth for his loved ones."

The girl gazed at the male across from him, before she smiled at him brightly. "Well whatever the problem is, I'm sure it'll be solved soon!" Akaashi opened his eyes and met her encouraging and faithful expression, and once again, his previously-cold heart began to warm just from her aura. "If it's you guys, then everything will definitely be alright!"

Hearing her pure words, the male breathed the softest sigh and nodded. "Yeah. Thank you."

And the two of them smiled at each other, with Tsubasa beaming brightly and Akaashi offering a small grin.

 _Everything will be alright._

* * *

It was Saturday night. Akaashi gently closed the door to Miwa's room as he just finished tucking her in and reading bedtime stories, where he heard the sink flushed on in the kitchen. Making his way there, he found his only brother washing the dishes of that night's dinner. Akaashi pocketed his hands in his sweatpants and leaned against the doorframe.

"Is everything alright, Isao?" Akaashi questioned from his spot. Isao's shoulders jumped just a bit at his older brother's sudden voice, before he smiled over his shoulder and nodded.

"Yup, everything's fine."

 _Lies._

Akaashi refrained from saying it out loud. He nodded simply, pushing off the doorframe to approach the kitchen. "I'll finish up the dishes, so go ahead and-"

"It's fine." Akaashi paused. Isao kept his back to his brother. "I can do the dishes. Nii-chan, why don't you go bathe before me? I don't mind."

...ah. Akaashi repressed a huff as he walked up to Isao and flicked the back of his head. "It's not about whether or not you mind. I'm the oldest; it's only natural I go last."

A plate slipped from the boy's hand as he whirled to face his brother. "Then if dad was here!" Akaashi blinked in surprise. "If... If dad was here, would he go last since he's actually the oldest?" Isao turned his gaze away and pushed the plate into the dish rack. He flicked the water off. "I don't even remember something as simple as that."

Akaashi's eyes softened and he nodded, lifting a hand to rest it atop Isao's head. "Father would try to go last, but Miwa would want him to bathe with her, so he might end up going first with her."

Isao pursed his lips. "Oh." The two stood there in silence, before the boy spoke up once more. "How long will he be gone this time?"

"...three months. They transferred him down to Western Tokyo."

"T-three months?" Isao sputtered, stepping away from the sink and throwing his apron off to the side. " _Three months_? What- Masumi-san might as well adopt us, don't you think?"

Akaashi's eyes widened and he followed after his brother as the boy staggered around the dining room. "Isao-"

"Gosh- t _hree months_!" Isao turned suddenly, and with one hand, he steadied himself against the dining table while the other gestured to his brother. "Why are you not mad about this? He just keeps leaving for work, and it gets longer and longer! At first it was just a few days, then it was a week and then two weeks and now- now it's suddenly more than a month?"

Akaashi stepped close to the boy and planted a hand on his shoulder, staring him directly in the eye. "Isao, it's been like this for a while now. Why is this suddenly upsetting you to this extent?"

"Just because it's been like this for years doesn't make it okay!" Isao yelled, slapping Akaashi's hand off of him. "I'm tired of it! He comes home randomly and says he missed us, but then leaves the next morning with a smile and pushes all this responsibility onto you! I'm tired of seeing you slave away your youth just to take care of Miwa and I - especially when you don't even want to!"

The older brother blinked rapidly and trotted after Isao as he rounded the dining table and continued into the living room. "What are you talking about? I take care of you and Miwa because I love you two. You're both family. It's more than just being the oldest."

"And I don't doubt that, but! _But_!"

"But _what_?"

"You've just-" Isao laughed suddenly, smiling crookedly and pulling at his hair. His pale green irises, so similar to their father's, grew shiny. "You've actually been happy recently. Like, _real_ happy. And you haven't been genuinely, completely happy in _years_. And now that I'm finally seeing you like this, I want you to stay like that. You deserve that, and so much more. Taking care of Miwa for you is the least I can do."

Akaashi's widened eyes slowly softened as he finally understood his younger brother's problem. He gave the gentlest sigh as Isao rubbed furiously at his eyes and sniffled loudly, and as the boy stood there obscuring his raining eyes, Akaashi stepped closer to him and wrapped his arms tenderly around Isao's shoulder. Isao leaned his forehead against Akaashi's shoulder, prompting the elder to comb through his black locks.

"Go calm down in the bath and get some sleep," Akaashi instructed tenderly. "We'll talk about this tomorrow, alright?"

"...alright."

The two separated gingerly. Akaashi watched as Isao dragged his feet out of the living room and down the corridor. Hearing the bathroom door shut, the male sat on the coach with a sigh and pressed his hands into his face. He dragged his fingertips down around his nose and mouth, allowing his eyes to fall upon his surroundings. He caught a picture on the coffee table, and he reached for it slowly.

It was a picture of a woman, her skin pale and her blackish-blue hair curly and long. Soft, ocean-like eyes gleamed at the camera and the woman smiled softly. Akaashi felt his heart twist.

 _I had no idea he felt like that. This all feels so sudden._

Akaashi sighed then and put the picture frame down, before he leaned his elbows atop his knees and hung his head.

 _"If it's you guys, then everything will definitely be alright!"_

 _Ah._

White locks flashed in his mind.

 _I want to see her._

* * *

 **word count:** 7,968

 **a/n:** damn a kinda short chapter! Been a while since we last had something around this length lol. Well anyway, that's that. I was trying to introduce Akaashi and Isao's little problem earlier during the training camp, but somehow I couldn't find the right place to put it. Sorry if it seems like... awkward. If I make any major edits to the previous chapters, I'll be sure to let you guys know!

But it's time. For. OMAKEEEE. Like I said in the last update, I'm making a new "story" for an omake collection of _realeyes_ where the first chapter will be a wiki-style page of Tsubasa! - which, for the record, keeps me from writing her out of character, sO IT IS NECESSARY LEAVE ME ALONE. Second chapter will be how Seijoh third-years concluded their bet, and then it'll just update whenever I cut out scenes or write omakes just for the hell of it. I'd be totally willing to take prompts from you guys in regards to my real! universe, so if you wanna, leave something in the reviews. Of course, I'll put it somewhere in the omake chapters if it's canon to the real! universe or if it's just crack.

And that's all I got for now. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as well, and as always, thank you so so much for the reviews, the follows, and the favorites! I would hug all of you if I could, but I can't, so just accept my stupid fic and my thanks. See ya next chapter!

-glasses cloth


	11. 11

**11 losing you is my biggest fear and my only regret**

 _"Psst... Tsubasa... Psst! Hey hey hey!"_

 _There was a sigh. The white-haired girl sighed harshly into the chest of her best friend, who was tugging at her nightgown and whisper-yelling in her ear at nearly twelve in the morning. Tsubasa groaned and lifted her face so that her chin rested against the boy's chest, and groggily, she blinked up at his expectant face._

 _"What? Go to sleep, stupid."_

 _"Tsubasa, do you think we'll ever be lonely?"_

 _The girl, who was only six-years old at the time, blinked. "Lonely? Us two? Of course not. We always have each other, after all."_

 _"Argh! No- not lonely! Like... uh... like- not together. What's the word for that?"_

 _"You mean separated?"_

 _"Yeah!" Koutarou's amber irises gleamed in the warmth radiating from the string-lights hanging above them. "Do you think we'll ever be separated?"_

 _Tsubasa frowned slightly at the question, and she shook her head within his embrace. "No. Why are you asking?"_

 _"I was just thinking, or something." Koutarou's arms tightened around her small back. "Because we're moving to Tokyo next week. And... your mama was upset that me and my family was moving with you guys. So I just thought that... maybe one day our parents will make us separate, or something."_

 _Ah. The young girl smiled and squeezed her arms tightly around the boy's neck, prompting him to do the same thing around her waist. "Then we'll just run away together if they try to separate us!" Tsubasa gasped suddenly in excitement and she sat up. She beamed down at her best friend, who returned the bright and wide grin easily. "We can go on adventures! Let's go find dinosaurs and go to the ocean and- ooh! Let's find El Dorado!"_

 _"What's that?!"_

 _"Exactly!"_

 _...ah. And the two of them were pressing their foreheads against one another, laughing beneath their fluffy blankets in the innocent light of childhood._

* * *

Mondays were always a drag, but that Monday in particular was a bit heavier than usual. It was fifteen minutes away from seven o' clock; Akaashi sat before the front door of his home as he slipped his shoes on and tied them carefully, slowly so that he wouldn't have to leave his house yet. Last night's confrontation with his only brother had his thoughts churning against one another harshly, and just a bit, he sighed to himself. A creak behind him caught his attention.

"Miwa," the male said upon seeing his young sister peeking around the corner of the corridor shyly. Beside her, the family dog, some German Shepherd by the name of King, sat close to her side. The girl hid behind her messy hair. "What's wrong? You don't need to be up so early," Akaashi said, standing and walking towards her quietly. He kneeled in front of her. "Are you okay?"

The little girl frowned and averted her gaze, shyly kicking her small feet against the floorboards. Her hair, which was the same shade as Akaashi's, reached past her chin in messy curly locks. She looked up to her oldest brother. "Is Isa-nii okay…?"

Ah. Akaashi nodded, smiling tenderly at the small girl as he rested a hand atop her head. "Yes. He's just a bit worried about us, that's all."

"Hm…"

"Did you hear us last night?"

She nodded mutely. The male's smile softened.

"I'm sorry. We've never argued before, so it must have been scary, right?"

Again, she nodded, albeit quicker this time. Miwa came out from behind the corner to hug the male as tightly as she could, with her short arms wrapped around his neck securely. Akaashi returned the gesture with a hand weaving through her hair gently, before he pressed a kiss against the side of her temple and gently urged her to let go.

"Don't worry," he said, still smiling as he ruffled her hair. "We're all okay. I'll be sure to talk things out with him later, so go back to sleep for now, okay?"

Miwa nodded and moved to return to her room with King at her side. Akaashi repressed another sigh before he finally moved to leave his home, and as soon as he locked the door behind him, lovely white locks tickled the confines of his mind. The male was quickly navigating the streets of his neighborhood to make his way down the hill, all just to walk to school with a white-haired girl. Soon enough, Powder's three-sectioned building was coming into view.

 _Ah._

Tsubasa looked up from the patio table she sat at patiently. Irises locked with one another naturally and light immediately exploded into their world, and just a bit, they smiled at each other.

"Mornin', Keiji!"

His heart fluttered at her welcoming voice.

"Good morning, Tsubasa-san."

 _I see her._

The male paused suddenly. With a curious blink and a tilt of his head, Akaashi casually reached a hand up to the girl's hair, where he carefully picked out curled wooden shavings. "Where are these from?"

"Hm?" Tsubasa blinked before she made a sound of realization. "Oh! I was just cleaning up the music store and the workshop last night."

Akaashi hummed as he plucked the last few shavings out of her hair, which he found to somehow appear dull – as if it was covered in dust. "Last night? Were you here all night?"

"…I mean… I'm not gonna say I was, _but_ …"

Ah. The male deadpanned as he then took note of the slight bags beneath the girl's eyes. _It's hard to notice it at first, but when you do-_ "Please take better care of yourself, Tsubasa-san." _–you'll see that those bags never leave._ "You should at least sleep properly if you don't eat properly."

Tsubasa pouted as her shoulders sagged with a tired sigh. "I know… It's not like I'm not trying though."

…ah. Akaashi nodded, lowering his hand before the urge to pat her hair rose up. "Then good work."

Almost immediately she brightened up. Tsubasa returned the nod with a wide grin, her cheeks turning slightly pink at the long-deserved praise.

"Thank you!"

The male nodded once more quietly, before the two of them continued on their way side-by-side.

* * *

"And… time~" Tsubasa smiled widely as she stopped the timer. Morning practice was meeting its end with a series of timed stretches to complete the set of stressful exercises the athletes had performed an hour prior. The girl clapped her hands as the volleyball player slouched on the floor. "Good work, everyone~"

"Let's get cleaning up," Akaashi said as he stood, before he began directing his fellow starters and other first-string members.

"Oi, Tsubasa!" Bokuto called as he leaned on a mop. The girl, who stood patiently on the sidelines, looked up from her pink notebook curiously. "What do you want for your birthday?"

Tsubasa blinked. Akaashi, along with the other starters who were coincidentally nearby, looked up as well and directed their gazes to the girl. She tilted her head blankly.

"Is that coming up soon?"

Ah. Bokuto abandoned his mop to pull at the girl's cheeks and rock her from side to side, resulting in a garbled string of protesting noises. "Remember the important things, Tsubaka! It's exactly a week from now!"

"Shtap it!"

"Ooh~ So Tsu-chan's turning 17?" Komi prompted, also leaning on his own mop. "When's the big day?"

Tsubasa frowned to herself as she grunted and pried Bokuto's fingers away from her cheeks. "Uh… If it's exactly a week from now then… the 21st, I think." She looked up to her best friend. "Right?"

"Yup! So answer my question."

Komi and the other sweat-dropped. "How can you forget that?"

Tsubasa ignored them. "Eh… Anything's fine, I don't really care."

The large male pouted as he hummed in thought. "Anything, huh…"

"Tsubasa-chan, want some cute pens?" Konoha prompted while untying the strings of the volleyball net. "There's a cheap stationary store by my place."

The girl, despite the way her eyes lit up in excitement, immediately shook her head. "It's fine, you don't have to get me anything! I don't really celebrate anyway."

"Eh? Why not?"

"Because-" Tsubasa released Bokuto's wrists to jab his side sharply, prompting the male to lurch over in pain. "-I used to move around a lot as a kid, so there was never really any time to celebrate. I just kinda stopped."

"Heh… Well, if you're not moving around anymore, then why not start celebrating again?" the male suggested with a grin. "I don't think I've ever thrown whipped cream at a cute girl before."

Tsubasa blinked, tilting her head dumbly. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing~ Yosh, let's finish cleaning up!"

...ah. Tsubasa hummed to herself in confusion as the lot of them returned to getting the gym cleaned up. Soon enough, she was heading to the school's main building with Akaashi and Bokuto at her side, and as Bokuto headed for the staircase after dropping them off at their classroom, he looked over his shoulder. His amber eyes, large and much too owlish, took mental photographs of the pair as they entered the room. He frowned to himself and continued up the stairs to the third-year hallway.

 _Akaashi will hurt her with those types of feelings. And she might go away again._

 _I don't want that._

* * *

"An argument, huh? That sounds rough," Tsubasa commented with the slightest frown as she placed two pieces of sweet korokke atop Akaashi's rice. The two of them had retreated to the garden as soon as the lunch bell rang as if it was second-nature. "So was Isao mad at you?"

"I'm not sure, honestly," the male replied after thanking the girl for the additional food. "He seemed more upset than anything, but it also seems like he's been holding onto these feelings for a while. I was very surprised."

Tsubasa hummed softly with the slightest frown, and carefully, she set her chopsticks down so she could tangle her fingers together in nervous habit. "Hm... Did Miwa hear?"

"Yeah. She said it was scary."

The white-haired girl's eyes softened. "Oh... I hope she's okay. Does she have any close friends to talk to?"

Akaashi blinked slowly before he shook his head. "Not that I know of. She's usually pretty shy with kids her age."

"Hm..." Somehow, Tsubasa's frown was intensifying and beginning to give the feel of something sorrowful. Almost awkwardly, the girl began drawing circles in the table with her finger. "When I was younger, my mom and my older brother used to argue a lot, and it was always scary. Luckily I had Kenma and those other two dorks to comfort me, but that kind of yelling is so scary..." Tsubasa looked up and smiled shyly. "I really hope Miwa has someone to talk to."

The male was silent as he took in the girl's words. They brought up a new concern for the male as they began to sink in, such as if Miwa had grown up too dependent on him and Isao or if she was somewhat socially inept with kids her age because of them. When Tsubasa's words began to sink even further, however, certain words and phrases from the present moment and the past began singing and dancing with one another to the song of sorrow.

 _"I used to have an older brother, but he died some time ago."_

"I'm sorry," Akaashi said suddenly, sitting up and holding the girl's gaze. She blinked and paused, just as she was about to pick at the cherry tomatoes in her lunch. "For me to be consulting you about these types of issues when your own older brother has passed... I've been insensitive. I'm sorry."

Tsubasa blinked rapidly, before she waved her hands and smiled simply. "Ah- it's fine, it's fine! It doesn't bother me at all!" The girl put her hands down slowly as he grin turned crooked, and just a bit, she began to frown once more. "Keiji, um... As someone who's gone through that sort of loss, I want to do everything I can to help you and your siblings. You never know what could happen, and, um... I don't want someone like you to have the regrets and the guilt that I possess." Somehow, the girl was smiling again, and it was a smile that was noticeably much more mature than the toothy and carefree ones he had gotten used to. Despite such a tame smile, however, the girl's eyes squinted behind her glasses, and in that little gesture, the male knew she was sincere. "So if listening is all I can do to help you, then please continue speaking."

And his eyes were nothing short of the ocean, for in that moment, a number of curious and lovely things swam about in the lovely blue glow of his radiant irises. Akaashi bowed his head slightly and dropped his gaze down to his bento, where he rested his eyes on the korokke gifted to him.

"I see," he said softly. "Then... I hope Miwa has someone to speak to as well. I fear that I may have raised her to be too dependent on Isao and I."

Tsubasa, who was somehow feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside despite the topic of their conversation, smiled softly and nodded. "It's okay. Everything will definitely be okay."

Akaashi nodded back slowly, before he looked up to the girl and met her gaze once more. "Tsubasa-san, are you sure there's nothing you want for you birthday? Surely you have something in mind."

Ah. The girl's shoulders jumped and she moved to wave her hands. "It's-" _fine. It's fine. You don't have to do anything for me._ Tsubasa blinked. The words n her mind, the ones she was so accustomed to saying, were somehow lodged in her throat. Akaashi tilted his head just a bit as she averted her gaze then, moving to hold her face in her hands. "Well... honestly, it'd be nice to spend it with someone. Anyone, really."

"What about Bokuto-san and his family?"

Tsubasa frowned, her eyes darkening just a bit. Akaashi stiffened. "I'd love to spend it with his family. I haven't seen his parents yet, and he even told me to spend my birthday with him. But..." Tsubasa sighed and closed her eyes. "Koutarou said that his older brother has been stopping by a lot recently. It's not that I don't like Yousuke-nii, but he was best friends with my older brother. I don't know how to break the news to him."

Akaashi's eyes widened just a bit, before he lowered his gaze to his food. "I see. That's quite troubling." _She's working hard whether someone sees or not._

The girl sighed again and slouched onto the table. "Right? I'm sure I could spend my birthday with Kenma or Tetsurou, but it's on a Monday. I don't wanna trouble them, especially since we all have school and after-school activities. I'm working the same shift as usual too, so we couldn't even meet up after volleyball practice."

"How long is your shift?"

"From four to ten. That's just during the week though." The male blinked in surprise, while the girl simply dissolved into some human puddle of exhaustion. "Uwah... I'm tired... Honestly, Powder might as well be a full-blown restaurant with a bakery next door. What kind of cafe serves udon? We get so busy too, it's ridiculous..."

Akaashi stared at her quietly as she leaned the side of her head atop her bicep, leaving her arms to stretch out before her. His eyes followed her arms right down to her hands, which reached his side of the table easily. The small fingers, which he noticed were calloused, twitched ever so slightly.

"Tsubasa-san?" Akaashi said, tilting his head and leaning to the side so he could look at her face. He blinked, finding her eyes closed peacefully as she snored lightly. _Ah. Asleep._ The boy sat up straight.

Akaashi temporarily set his chopsticks down to shrug off his blazer. He then stood quietly and draped the thing over her small frame, and when he sat, his face reddened just a tad at the way his blazer engulfed her figure. He picked his chopsticks back up and stared at his lunch thoughtfully.

 _Everything will definitely be okay._

 _For the both of us._

* * *

The uniforms for Fukuroudani's junior high were almost the exact same as those for the high school, only the ties and ribbons were green. Akaashi Isao announced his departure as he finished his portion of the end-of-the-day cleanup, and with his bag slung over his shoulder, he whistled as he made his way out of his classroom. The third-year junior high kid paused as a trio of girls - who were probably classmates (he wasn't completely sure though since he more or less ignored his classmates) - called out to him.

"Wait, Akaashi-kun!" the lead girl cried, being a short brunette with some long ponytail. "Where are you rushing off to? You said you'd go out for karaoke with us."

Isao smiled simply, his pale green irises somehow dimming in the sunlight. "No I didn't. I said I would consider it if I wasn't busy, which unfortunately I am. See ya."

Ah. And the boy, who was idolized just like his older brother, was trotting out of the classroom and making his way out of the school. The trio of girls scowled at his words, before they looked to one another with childish pouts. A couple of boys in the classroom snickered at the sight of them.

"That guy's always busy, you know~" one of the boys teased, prompting the girls to hiss at him angrily. "What?! It's just the truth!"

"Nobody asked you!"

Back with Isao, the boy was already just a foot from breezing past the school gates. Before he could set foot outside of the official campus grounds, however, he found himself pausing as an unfortunately-familiar voice called out to him.

"Where are you off to, vice?"

...ah. Isao grumbled and slowly looked over his shoulder, where a tall, blonde male stood expectantly with his arms crossed. Isao smiled stiffly then, offering a robotic wave of his hand.

"Hey, captain," the boy greeted casually. "Just going to pick up my little sister, as usual. Also, I have not been officially appointed the vice-captain position and I will refuse if offered. Excuse-"

"Not excused."

"..."

"..."

Isao grinned crookedly despite the vein of annoyance throbbing along his neck. "We're the same age and same year, Konoha. I'm not afraid of walking away right now, you know."

And the male was turning away from his captain. The captain, also known as Konoha Hitoshi, puffed out a breath of annoyance and brushed aside his dirty-blonde bangs. His hair was longer than his older brother's and contained in a low ponytail, and although his eyes were some cool shade of blue, the physical resemblance he had to Konoha Akinori were as clear as day.

"The only one qualified to take Ren's place is you, you know," Hitoshi called after the male. Isao, with his back to the captain, rolled his eyes and waved his hand flippantly. "I know you want to do it, dumbass!"

Isao's walking gait stuttered just a bit before he continued on his way silently, pursing his lips and clenching his fists in his pockets.

* * *

"Yosh~ let's get outta here," Konoha said as he pushed open the door to the clubroom. Afternoon practice was ending at a normal time of eight o' clock, and the lot of them were tiredly trotting to the comfort of their clubroom. Konoha, after making his way to his personal locker, looked to his fellow starters as he peeled his shirt off. "So, we goin' anywhere tonight?"

Komi, situated a few spaces to his right, shrugged with a grin. "Convenience store ice cream sounds nice."

"Sorry, I got stuff to do!" Bokuto piped in, already out of his practice clothes and messily throwing on his school uniform. "I gotta get Tsubasa a birthday present!"

"Oh right, that's next Monday," Komi commented, before he turned his grin to the captain. "What're you gonna get her?"

"I have no idea."

Ah. The athletes stared at Bokuto blankly as he stroked his chin harshly in thought, his eyes narrowing as he practically pouted.

"Last year I got her cookie cutters, and then a bracelet the year before that, and then..."

Akaashi perked up. He turned to the captain with a slightly-confused blink. "Last year? I thought you just reunited with Tsubasa-san this year, Bokuto-san."

Bokuto blinked back as he looked to the male, before he made a noise of realization. "I did! But I've been getting her birthday presents since she left. So I've got like... seven wrapped presents waiting in my bedroom right now."

Again, the athletes were blinking at their captain blankly. Komi broke the silence with a wide smile as he zipped up his bag.

"Aw, that's kinda cute!" the libero remarked. "Kinda sad too, but still cute."

"Not a year passes without our dramatic protagonist, Bokuto Koutarou-kun, maintaining the long lost bond with his childhood soulmate," Sarukui began suddenly, his voice turning into some gameshow-like announcer's voice. "Will childhood friendship eventually bloom into something more?"

"Find out next week at 5pm standard time!" Konoha continued, also mimicking a showtime announcer as he held up some invisible microphone. "Stay tuned for a preview of next week's episode after the credits!"

Komi stepped up with his own invisible microphone. "This has been _True Love In High School Volleyball: The Reunion After 7 Years Arc_! New episodes every Monday night!"

...ah. Akaashi deadpanned at the lot of them as they were suddenly playing air guitars and air drums and singing random, off-key melodies to create some makeshift theme song for their little skit. _These are my teammates. They're third-years._

Bokuto, as much as he wanted to be impressed with the well-strung act of randomness, pouted simply and crossed his arms. "Tsubasa and I aren't like that! We're like siblings- _siblings_! Sometimes she's like a big sister, other times she's like a little sister, but most times she's like a twin sister! _Sister_!"

Komi rapidly tapped his index fingers against his locker to imitate a drumroll. "And now for the next episode's preview!"

Konoha abruptly threw himself against the lockers after pushing his blonde locks back in an attempt to mimic Bokuto's signature hairstyle. He pressed his fists against the cool metal and hung his head, his eyes horrendously wide as his bottom lip quivered. "W-what is this... I can't... I can't decide on a birthday present for Tsubasa!"

"I don't act like that!"

The blonde, whose hair began to fall back into place, pressed his weeping face into his palms. As if on cue, both Sarukui and Washio silently took a notebook from their bags and began fanning the male, thus dramatically blowing his hair back and giving his clothes an intense flutter. Akaashi went to tying his tie without a word or a glance.

"I-if I don't get her a good birthday present after all these seven years, she'll hate me! She'll leave me! She'll leave me-" Konoha tossed himself back suddenly with an anguished cry and pulled at his messy locks. "-for Akaashi!"

Akaashi's hand jerked, just as he was tightening his tie. Onaga jumped in surprise as the vice-captain practically strangled himself, and after quickly loosening it and catching his breath, Akaashi slowly looked over his shoulder to his senpai. "Please don't drag me into this. Also, that seems to be a highly inaccurate depiction of the situation."

The team's captain perked up and he nodded vigorously. _Chance!_ Bokuto threw himself up beside Akaashi, thus pushing the male aside just a bit, and tightened his crossed arms. "That's right, that's right! All of us are just friends! Friends! And I said before that Tsubasa doesn't believe in feelings like that, so stop pushing them together!"

Akaashi, having turned back to his locker to continue changing, blinked slowly at the captain's words. _She doesn't believe in feelings like that? Feelings like what?_

 _Ah._

The male's fingers tightened around his tie.

 _My heart hurts._

"Eh~ But they're so cute together~" Konoha whined, puffing his own cheeks out as he sat with his legs crossed. Before Bokuto could retort, Akaashi looked back to the group of third-years slowly.

"If I may," he interjected politely while pulling his blazer on, "but Tsubasa-san and I were confronted by our classmates last week about a similar issue. They were all throwing a fit because we were apparently too close to be friends."

The third-years blinked at the information, before Bokuto chirped, "Really? What'd you guys say?"

Akaashi shut his locker and shouldered his bags, turning to his fellow starters fully. "Well, Tsubasa-san offered a logical argument that shut them down and I simply enforced it and confirmed we're only friends. Naturally, we've been ostracized, but it doesn't make a difference to us. Anyway, I'm not sure what sort of feelings you're all talking about, but like I said to my classmates, we're simply friends. If pushing those types of feelings, whatever they may be, is going to make her uncomfortable with me, then please stop. I value her friendship, and would prefer not to lose it."

The starters blinked at the male quietly, and somehow, Konoha was holding back the slightest frown. Bokuto huffed through his nose and grinned widely, before he looked back to Konoha almost triumphantly.

"See? We're all friends here! Akaashi said so him-"

"And if you start feeling?" The lot of them blinked once more as Konoha stood up straight. His hands pocketed and his eyes lidded, the blonde of the team stared at the vice-captain calmly. "What will you do if you start feeling?"

Akaashi held the blonde's gaze coolly. "I value a sturdy friendship over eccentric feelings." And that was that. Akaashi looked up to Onaga as the first-year slowly and carefully closed his locker door. "Let's go. I'll see you to the gate, Onaga."

"Uh- y-yes!" The tower of a first-year bowed politely to the third-years. "G-good work..."

Akaashi nodded at them and repeated the sentiment, before he and Onaga were exiting the clubroom without another word. The third-years looked amongst each other, almost awkwardly, before they rested their gazes on Bokuto and Konoha.

"You know, if Tsubasa-chan hadn't come along, then Akaashi wouldn't have done anything to get him ostracized from his class," the blonde remarked quietly. The memory of a small, black-haired country boy being backed up against a wall played in his mind. "Well, you didn't know Akaashi in junior high like I did, so that probably doesn't mean much to you."

Bokuto stiffened just a bit at the comment, before he averted his gaze and jutted his lip out. "That's not true... I just... don't want Tsubasa to leave again. She's scared of those kinds of feelings." The image of a little white-haired girl screaming about the delusions of love flashed before his amber irises. "So of course I'm opposed to the idea of _them_."

The clubroom fell into silence. The remaining starters watched those two quietly with concerned frowns, as the two stood with a distance, both literal and metaphorical, between them. It was understood, in that moment, that there were two sides to the story that were unknown to each other; there was what Bokuto did not know of Konoha and Akaashi, and what Konoha did not know of Bokuto and Tsubasa. Konoha returned to his locker with the smallest huff.

"So a birthday present, right?" the blonde drawled, reaching for his tie and blazer. "Let's hurry up and get outta here. I'll show you that stationary store by my house, if you want."

Bokuto blinked at the blonde's back, before he beamed and nodded. Energetically, the captain pounced on the middle blocker and slung a friendly arm around his shoulders.

"Yeah! Thanks, Konoha!"

And the lot of them were packing up quickly, casually continuing with relaxed chatter to ease up the tension in the room.

* * *

"I'm home," Akaashi called quietly into his home as he set his shoes aside. The previous interaction with his teammates was much too fresh in his mind, and the echoing of certain phrases could not be helped in the confines of his mind.

 _"-Tsubasa doesn't believe in feelings like that-"_

 _"And if you start feeling?"_

The male's hands clenched at his side.

 _"What will you do if you start feeling?"_

Akaashi pressed his lips into a firm, thin line. _I've already begun to feel._ He quietly walked further into his home, before he stopped beside the doorframe leading to the living room.

 _I just don't know what I'm feeling._

The male looked up then, and blinked slowly at the sight of his younger brother asleep on the couch. After setting his bags and his blazer inside his room, Akaashi returned to the living room where Isao was asleep on the couch. The boy, clad in shorts and a plain green tee, was curled up within the corner of soft blue sofa with his shoulders softly rising and falling with each sleepy breath. Akaashi blinked again at him slowly, before he deadpanned.

"If you think you're fooling me, you've got another thing coming," the older brother said simply.

Ah. Isao's eyes opened and he huffed. "It was worth a try."

Akaashi went to loosening his tie as he moved towards the kitchen to fetch himself a glass of water. "Did you and Miwa have dinner?"

"Of course," Isao answered, sitting up and crossing his arms over the top of the sofa. He watched his brother reach into the fridge. "Welcome home. You're back early."

"You mean I'm home at a normal time."

"Yeah." Silence fell between them. _Somehow._ Isao sat back on his heels and leaned his chin atop his forearms. _It's kinda awkward._ "Uh... Nii-chan, about last night, um... Sorry. For yelling, and stuff."

Akaashi paused, just as he was about to take his first gulp of water. He set the glass down then and turned, where he looked over the kitchen counter and to the couch where Isao sat. The older male wagged a beckoning finger.

Isao, perking up at the gesture, frowned to himself and stood quietly. Obediently, he walked over to his older brother and stood before the expectant male with his face bowed in shame. Akaashi flicked his forehead.

"Ow."

"You're forgiven."

"..."

"..."

Akaashi spread his arms slowly. Isao blinked at the action before he sniffed loudly, and abruptly, his eyes were raining and he was sobbing in his brother's embrace. Akaashi rubbed the boy's back comfortingly as he more or less rambled about his troubles, pressing his forehead against his brother's shoulder.

"Wah... dad sucks..." the boy started. "Miwa finally started elementary school b-but he's not around to see, and- and he just leaves and leaves a _nd leaves_ for _work_ and lets _Masumi-san_ do everything, and _Masumi-san_ is taking care of Miwa more than we are and it makes me feel like _a failure of a brother even though_ , and- and- _waah_!"

"Shh, shh, take your time," Akaashi soothed, running his fingers through the boy's hair. _Masumi-san, huh? He has been helping us for years. I didn't think he'd ever pose a problem._

"And- and I wanna take the vice-captain position for basketball but I don't want Miwa to be lonely since we'll both be gone longer b _ut then_ I don't want Masumi-san to keep taking care of her because she's _our_ sister b _ut then I don't want you t_ o take care of her 'cause you've been taking care of us _both_ _for years a_ nd you're tired but now- _now_ -"

Isao gave an anguished cry before he leaned back and gripped Akaashi's shoulders. He shook his older brother weakly, eyes shut tight as his rambling turned into emotional complaining.

" _And now Tsubasa-nee-chan is here!_ \- and you probably won't understand this because for some reason you're really dense when it comes to stuff like this but she makes you genuinely happy and I'm mad at myself because all I can do is stress you out and trouble you and- _ah wah this sucks!_ "

Akaashi blinked rapidly as he let Isao shake him. _Tsubasa-san?_ The male narrowed his eyes in thought and frowned slightly. _Is the Hakurei family unknowingly causing trouble for my family? I don't get it._

The older male set his own hands atop Isao's shoulders, prompting the boy to pause. "Isao, I'm sorry. But I don't completely understand."

" _Of course you don't_!"

"Shh, Miwa might hear us." Isao perked up and immediately pursed his lips. Akaashi then frowned slightly before he averted his gaze in thought. He sighed then, bringing his younger brother back in for a comforting embrace. "You can't tell father I said this, alright?"

Isao sniffed loudly. "Huh? Said what?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise. But you'd probably feel better knowing." Akaashi apologized briefly in his head before continuing. "Father put in a job transfer last month. A job transfer to a security guard at Miwa's elementary school. It was approved, but before the final transfer, he has to perform a month of formal duty. That's why he's in Western Tokyo right now. But he'll be here permanently around mid-June."

Isao blinked rapidly. He leaned back just a bit to stare at his brother's face. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"..." Isao sniffed again as the tears resumed. "Well why didn't he say anything?! Now I feel bad _and_ dumb!"

"A surprise typically means revealing unknown knowledge to an unsuspecting party, most times to elicit feelings of joy."

"Nii-chan, you're a horribly-timed smart-ass."

" _Furthermore_ ," Akaashi continued, ignoring the remark, "Masumi-san only takes care of Miwa when we have training camps. We all had a meeting about this in the first week of April before Miwa started elementary school. Don't you remember that?"

"...um." Isao, once again, sniffled and pouted. "But- but it feels like she's with him more than she's with us!"

Akaashi deadpanned and flicked Isao's forehead once more. _This is my brother._ "You're overthinking it. The agreement was only during training camp or during an emergency. Masumi-san has a life too, you know; he can't take care of her as much as you think he is."

"E-eh..."

Akaashi dropped his hands down to his hips as he tilted his head in confusion. "Now what's this about Tsubasa-san?"

Ah. Isao pursed his lips and pulling at the hem of his shirt. "Nii-chan, I feel like you still won't understand even if I explain it to you."

"Do you want to talk or not?"

"..." The boy dropped his gaze down to his feet. "Nii-chan, you're different these days, whether you realize it or not." Akaashi blinked. "You just look better. And... you haven't looked like this since mom was around. Even when you're spending time with Miwa and I, you've never looked like... _this_."

Akaashi stared at the boy quietly. "And I suppose Tsubasa-san is the reason for this change?"

"Yeah." Isao looked up to his brother, carefully but bravely meeting his gaze. "Nii-chan, you started to look happier when you first joined the volleyball club last year. But ever since Tsubasa-nee-chan has come here, it's like you get happier every day. It's a more consistent state - and it's more obvious too. I bet dad even noticed it."

Akaashi blinked slowly as his father's words rung in his ears.

 _"Your eyes look brighter somehow. Did you meet a pretty girl?"_

He paused. _Ah._ Akaashi held back a huff. "Well that doesn't mean I don't enjoy being with my siblings."

Isao pouted, nodding slowly. "I know... I'm sorry."

Akaashi sighed softly and lifted a hand up to ruffle the boy's hair. "It's alright. But don't bottle up things like this. The only time you ever stress me out is when you keep important things like this from me."

The boy blinked. "Really? I don't stress you out any other time?"

"No. Why would you?"

"...um."

"Exactly." Akaashi moved to finally take a gulp of his water, and after downing the entire glass, he looked back to Isao. "But if you want to be vice-captain, then go for it. There's no real reason not to."

"But Miwa-"

"Will be fine." Akaashi crossed his arms. "I'm sure she would be upset if she knew you're holding yourself back just to take care of her. Besides, unlike me, your captain is calm and sensible. Hitoshi-kun isn't eccentric like Bokuto-san is, so you won't be having the problems I have as vice-captain. You should be returning home around the same time as usual."

Isao blinked. "Oh. I didn't think of it like that."

Akaashi nearly planted his face in his palm. _All this trouble just because he was overthinking._ "Hurry up and take a bath."

"You sound mad now!"

"I'm irritated; it's different." Ah. And the older brother was pushing the younger one out of the kitchen. "You had me thinking I did something horribly wrong as the eldest. Don't trample on the pride I have for being your brother."

...ah. Isao sniffed once more and rubbed at his eyes furiously. "Okay, okay! Stop pushing me!" As Akaashi returned to the kitchen to heat whatever leftovers there were, Isao paused at the doorframe of the living room. He looked over his shoulder. "Nii-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Akaashi blinked. He then nodded simply and turned his attention to a container of curry. Isao grinned widely and continued on his way to the bathroom, humming a nonsensical tune of pure happiness.

Akaashi Miwa, on the other hand, was laying wide awake beneath layers and layers of blankets. King was at her side as usual and providing the comfort he usually gave, letting the girl hug him tightly to her chest while her fingers shakily locked onto his fur. The little girl pursed her lips, her blue irises shiny in the darkness. The fresh memory of Isao wailing replayed in her mind.

 _"-I wanna take the vice-captain position for basketball but I don't want Miwa to be lonely-"_

Miwa's grip tightened slightly. The little girl, who had unfortunately stopped eavesdropping on her brothers' conversation before they made peace with each other, sniffed quietly to herself and nuzzled her face into her dog's dense fur. The dog, otherwise known as King, perked up and licked away her silent tears.

 _It's my fault._

* * *

The few waiters and waitresses gave relieved sighs and thankful cheers as the evening shift ended with a melodic chime. Masumi, situated at the front of the cafe where the welcoming counter was, clapped his hands after shutting off the alarm.

"Yosh, good work, everyone!" he said, smiling at his employees. "The night's over. Let's get cleaned up and head home."

Various cheers sounded from the spacious cafe as the man's employees got to cleaning up. The standard uniform for Powder's cafe and bakery consisted of a white dress shirt with black slacks beneath a chocolatey-brown waiter's apron, finished off with a black tie and matching gloves. Tsubasa and Masumi, on the other hand, wore something like an inverse of the uniform, for their slacks, ties, and gloves were pure white, with their shirts being pure black.

Tables shined, chairs flipped, dishes sparkling and the dark floorboards glistening, the small team was soon tying up their aprons and changing into their casual clothes. Tsubasa stood beside her uncle and waved goodbye as her fellow co-workers bid the two of them goodnight, and when they were all gone, the white-haired girl, now clad in her school uniform, heaved a tired sigh. Masumi grinned crookedly and patted her head.

"Good work," he said softly. "Go ahead and go home. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes~ Let's go, Kou."

"Wan!"

And soon enough, she too was leaving the comfort of her cafe. Tsubasa stretched her arms high above her head as she made her way down the hill while her dog trotted close to her side. It was only ten minutes past ten o' clock, and the moon was already hanging above her and outdoing all the street lamps. A cloud slowly began to obscure its radiance. The girl, who was just about to meet the T-shaped intersection at the bottom of the hill and turn down to the left, nearly yelped as a figure bumped into her.

"Ah, sorry!" she said immediately, unconsciously looking up to the person's face. "I wasn't-"

Her heart stopped.

Familiar hazel irises widened down at her.

"-looking..." she finished meekly.

She took a small step back. Kou tilted his head at her curiously, before he looked up to the figure. It was a man, tall and broad and clad in all black. His hair, which was styled like an undercut and had the shaven sides dyed black, was some dark grey that shined metallically in the warm street lights. Beneath the swooping grey locks and the fur-rimmed hood of his jacket, hazel irises focused on the girl before him. Tsubasa gulped, taking another step back.

"Yo-nii...?"

The man, otherwise known as Bokuto Yousuke, lowered his hood. Tsubasa's breath caught in her throat at the familiar facial structure - which had undoubtedly matured over the years - and she took another step back. Something like a strangled gasp escaped her as she suddenly took off down the street, breezing right by the man and blatantly running away. Kou gave the stranger a bark, before he followed after his master.

And the night went on, with Yousuke pulling his hood back on and continuing on his way.

* * *

 **word count** : 7,277

 **a/n:** Yay... finally got this done. I recently finished up my October term and the new schedule I have for my November term is way better, so I'll have more time to work on this. My college is a bit weird and the class schedule changes every month, so I'll definitely shoot for at least one chapter a month. But last month was horrible in its entirety -_-

Anyway, thanks so much for taking the time to read and review! It startles me every time I see a new follower or favorite, so thanks so so so much! Haha, it's literally the highlight of my dumb college life. I kinda wanna use this website to post updates about the whole process so you guys know I'm not dead, but I'm sure it's annoying to get a notification for a new chapter only to find out it's only an update (I know 'cause I'vE BEEN THERE).

Well, thank you again for the love and for your time, and make sure you take care of yourselves!

-glasses cloth


	12. 12

**12 it is not i to be at your side**

 _"Tamo-nii!"  
_

 _Ah. The black-haired boy paused in his steps to glance over his shoulder curiously. Beneath the wavy black locks, his golden irises caught sight of some small, grey-haired child running up to him energetically. Hakurei Tamotsu smiled endearingly, before he turned and kneeled with his arms spread open._

 _"Hey, Koutarou," Tamotsu greeted as the boy crashed into his welcoming hug. "You're always here, aren't you? What's up?"_

 _"Nothing!" the boy replied with some wide, toothy grin that naturally drew others in. "I saw you and just wanted to say hi!"_

 _Tamotsu's smile softened up like ice left out on the kitchen counter, and as his somewhat-hollow heart lifted itself up simply because of the innocent boy's words, he hugged Koutarou once more. Used to the gesture, Tamotsu stood with the little boy secured to his chest, before he continued on his way to the kitchen. Another voice crying out prompted him to pause._

 _"What about me?!"_

 _...ah. The black-haired boy looked over his shoulder as another small child came running up to him, tugging on his sweater needily. While Koutarou was grinning happily with his chin propped up against the elder's shoulder, Tamotsu was frowning softly._

 _"I don't know if I can carry you while I carry Koutarou, Tsubasa," the boy said, genuinely worried about how to satisfy both his younger sister and her best friend. "We can try, but I might fall over and hurt one of you. That wouldn't be good."  
_

 _The white-haired girl pouted and dropped her gaze down to her small feet. She relented, however, with a sigh and a tug of the hem of her dress._

 _"Okay... Uwah!"_

 _Little Tsubasa, only age five at the time, cried out in alarm as she suddenly found herself towering above her brother and her best friend. She immediately smiled as she recognized what was happening, and gleefully, she giggled and hugged the head of the shoulders she now sat upon._

 _"Yo-nii!" she exclaimed, burying her face into some messy collection of dark grey locks._

 _The boy, who was just a few centimeters taller than Tamotsu, grinned cheekily at the black-haired boy. "Good thing I'm here, right?"_

 _Tamotsu huffed, but returned the smile and shrugged. "You're late, but yeah." Tamotsu's golden eyes lit up beneath his dark hair as he nudged his own best friend, who simply laughed in response. "It's good that you're here."_

* * *

"See ya later, Uncle Sumi!"

"We're off."

Masumi grinned widely as he waved after his niece and her friend, while Kou barked encouraging woofs after the two. "Have a good day at school, you two!"

And soon enough, their backs were shrinking from his vision as they continued their way down the hill. Tsubasa, who had stopped biking to the shop after Golden Week ended, could be heard casually conversing with Akaashi, both of which were up early for morning practice. Masumi's smile could only sadden at the endearing sight.

 _If only you were in my place, Teru._

 _All that's left is…_

Abruptly, the man sighed. He crossed his arms and turned to stare up the hill, where his coppery irises rested on an alleyway beside Powder's café. Kou snorted as his fluffy ears flattened against his head in distaste.

"You not only look like a punk," the man said aloud, just as some hooded figure cautiously stepped into the morning light, "but you act like one too."

The figure tutted as he flipped his fur-rimmed hood off, allowing for his dark grey hair to show through. Bokuto Yousuke huffed, almost childishly as he too crossed his own arms. "I told you I wouldn't leave until I was satisfied."

Masumi turned on his heel and marched into his store, where Kou followed after him with his black nose turned up to the air. "I don't mind calling the police."

Ah. Yousuke jerked on the spot and darted into the building. The overwhelmingly-nostalgic aroma of cinnamon and hot chocolate nearly brought tears to his eyes, and he swallowed down the thick lump of regret as he latched onto the back of Masumi's shirt.

"All I want-"

"When Tsubasa finished her first day of high school-" Masumi interrupted, whirling around to snatch the young man's wrist and grip it tightly. Bright copper irises glared through the slight sheen atop Yousuke's hazel tones. "-she came back to me and proudly said that she had introduced herself as Hakurei Tsubasa. Before you ask for any other answer, can you tell me why that little moment is so important?"

Yousuke stiffened, his brow twitching in confusion. "I… don't see why it's a significant moment. That's her name, so of course she'd introduce herself as that."

"No." Yousuke blinked. Masumi dropped his wrist and crossed his arms once more. "Her name isn't Hakurei Tsubasa. Not anymore." The young man's eyes widened. "Her name is Kageyama Tsubasa."

Yousuke stared at the man's face silently. Again, he gulped, but otherwise kept his lips sealed. Masumi took it as his sign to continue.

"Many things have happened over the years, Yousuke-kun," Masumi murmured, making sure to maintain eye contact. "And this name change is just one of those things. My beloved niece has been through thick and thin, but most importantly, she's back and trying to make a living. She's back. She may be not living with me yet, she may not be fully inheriting this shop yet, and she may not have agreed to changing her name back to Hakurei yet – but she has proclaimed herself to be Hakurei Tsubasa. Slowly, but surely, she's getting stronger and recovering from all the events that you are selfishly being ignorant of." Yousuke's heart-rate stuttered as Masumi's glare sharpened, effectively shattering the young man's resolve. "Don't get in the way of her progress. _Don't get in the way of all her hard work_."

A shudder had his spine violently twitching. Whether it was fear of what he did not know, or fear of what he had assumed, the young man found himself quaking frightfully on the spot. Still, despite his weakened mind, he gritted his teeth and dug bloody crescent moons into his palms.

"Every year on August 31st," the male said, "I go back to Nara to fix up Teruo-san's grave. I've been doing that ever since Tamotsu moved away, since no one else would be able to do so. You were studying abroad, and Teruo-san's immediate family was already out of the country. But…"

Masumi's glare softened just a bit, and he frowned. "I thank you for that. But-"

"When I went last year," Yousuke continued, dropping his gaze to his feet, "the red on Tamotsu's name… was gone."

Masumi's eyes widened.

 _Oh._

"All I want is confirmation."

 _He-_

"That my best friend is really dead."

 _He already knows._

* * *

 _She's different today._

Akaashi watched the small girl from the corner of his eyes as she offered towels and water bottles to his teammates. The lot of them were halfway through morning practice and easing up the physical stress with a quick break. With the peace he had finally regained with his younger brother and the clearing of some misconceptions, Akaashi had expected the atmosphere to return to what it usually was – being nice and quaint.

He had a feeling, however, that the wavering neutral grey tone of her irises said otherwise.

"Yosh, break's over~" Tsubasa announced with a clap of her hands, before she looked to Bokuto expectantly. "What's next on the list, Koutarou?"

 _She talks as usual._

"Core exercises! Right, Akaashi?"

"Yes."

 _She moves as usual._

Seated on the floor, Konoha sighed roughly and leaned back on his palms. "I'm tired already. I forgot how tiring morning practice is."

From nearby, Sarukui and Komi deadpanned at the blonde. _Morning practice has already been back for a week, you dumb blonde._

Ah. Konoha turned to the two quickly. "You two are thinking something rude, aren't you?"

"What? No."

"Define rude."

Tsubasa chuckled at the lot of them before she clapped her hands once more. "We've only got 30 minutes left. It'll be over before you know it, Konoha-san!"

 _Yet she's different today._

"But while we're on the topic..." Washio spoke up suddenly, stepping closer to the group with his arms crossed thoughtfully. The lot of them blinked in surprise at the team's silent warrior, who was hardly ever one to lead a conversation. Washio looked to them. "Perhaps it's just me, but I was thinking that the circumstances are quite strange. Why is that morning practice is no longer banned? Did Coach talk with the principal?"

They all blinked. Komi hummed and crossed his own arms, just as his brows began to knit together. "Now that you mention it, it does seem kinda random. Maybe he was waiting for Golden Week to pass?"

"But then why would that be?" Sarukui prompted.

"W-who knows? Maybe he was waiting to get out of the hospital? I hear he's finally back to his regular schedule this week."

"Hm..."

Tsubasa tilted her head at the question as she thought about it herself, pressing her notebook against her chest and looking up to her invisible thought clouds. _I did ask Tachibana-sensei to say something to the principal because I knew they were relatives, but why would that matter? Even if I'm a fairly good student, that shouldn't have made a big impact._

"Well regardless of the reason-" Akaashi said, dusting off his hands and fiddling with his fingers. Tsubasa tilted her head at him. _He does that a lot._ "-we should be grateful to have morning practice back. Let's skip the core exercises for today and end it with a run; we're almost out of time anyway."

"Osu!"

Tsubasa smiled and waved at the lot of them as they jogged past her and through the gym doors. Despite the refreshing atmosphere of morning time, the sky was clouded over completely with greying puffs. Seeing that, Bokuto grinned widely and leapt forward.

"Hey hey hey, here comes the rain!" the captain shouted, darting on ahead. "Hurry, hurry!"

Konoha tutted at the buff male. "Don't say that when it's not raining yet! You're gonna jinx us!"

Komi smirked and skipped ahead of the blonde. "You're only saying that to make him slow down!"

"Geh-"

Passing him as well, Sarukui patted his shoulder. "Rain rain, come and stay~"

"Shut up, Saru! Tsk!" After being passed by Washio and Onaga, and later the other numbered members, Konoha looked over his shoulder curiously. He found that Akaashi, as surprisingly and unsurprisingly as it was, was the only one behind him. "It's a real shame when you're behind me, Akaashi!"

The second-year perked up. Akaashi had been watching the girl from the corner of his eyes as she sat atop the steps and patiently waited for their return, and he had planned to continuing doing so until she was completely out of sight. Now called out by his senpai, the male turned ahead and easily passed the blonde wordlessly. Konoha quirked a brow at the blankly-serious face of his kouhai.

The blonde's eyes became lidded then, and he silently picked up his pace.

 _That's what you get for feeling._

* * *

 _This is reality._

Fast-paced heartbeats found themselves accompanied by racing thoughts – thoughts that created their own universe with anxiety and depression being the gravitational pull that prompted them to orbit at mach speed. Something dull and thick and loud, like a siren blaring through depths of water and any other suffocating liquid, had her ears ringing and throbbing and straining for anything peaceful.

 _I forgot I was like this._

She hadn't drowned in a while. The past few weeks had somehow crafted a raft for her to splay herself upon as she caught her breath and remembered she was alive – alive and moving forward. The waves were calmer and the universe was just a tad quieter than what she had gotten used to from the past few years or so. It was an environment for reflection and redemption, filled with hope and the strength to go forward.

 _"Hey."_

But demons do not live to be forgotten.

 _"We'll be leaving Japan for a while, so- so I won't have Yousuke to practice with me. But-"_

 _Tamo-nii._

 _"-I have you. So I'll properly teach you basketball, and we'll practice together. And then-"_

 _Tamo-nii-chan._

 _"-when we get back to Japan, I won't be rusty-"_

 _Tamo-nii-san._

 _"-and I'll go back to playing with Yousuke."_

 _Tamotsu-nii-san._

 _You won't do that._

 _"Can you bear with me until then, little sis?"_

The raft had come apart last night. Now, the waves resumed with their violent churning, and again she was drowning.

 _Of course I can._

 _I'm alive, after all._

 _I'm alive._

 _I'm still alive. I'm still here. I'm here because I'm strong. I'm here for a reason._

 _To pick up where I left off. To grow. To move on. To reunite._

 _To redeem myself._

 _For forgiveness. For more strength. For a happier life._

 _For retribution._

 _Retribution._

 _Because. Because._

"Tsubasa-san?"

 _Tamotsu-nii-san won't go back to playing basketball with Yo-nii._

 _Yo-nii-chan. Yo-nii-san. Yousuke-nii-san._

 _Yousuke-san._

 _I'm sorry._

"Tsubasa-san."

 _You two will never play basketball together ever again._

"Tsubasa."

 _Because-_

The girl jolted as a finger tapped her shoulder politely. With freak speed and the slightest gasp, Tsubasa whirled to her right with wide, quaking irises to find Akaashi standing beside could only blink back with his own quantities of surprise as their eyes met. The lunch bell had rung just a few minutes ago, and typically the girl was the one to lead the way to the garden or maybe even to the vending machines for a cheap drink – but the only movement she had performed were the bare minimum breaths she needed to live. They blinked at each other.

"The lunch bell has already rung, Tsubasa-san," Akaashi said softly, his brows furrowing just a bit. _She didn't react at all to me dropping the honorific._ "Shall we head off?" _That's strange._

Tsubasa nodded quickly with the shakiest smile. "Ah- of course! Sorry. I was just… thinking."

"I understand," he replied, taking her bento from her bag and stacking it atop his. He watched her expectantly, and when she blinked back dumbly and remained in her seat, he frowned. "Are we not heading to the garden as usual?"

"Huh?" The girl blinked once more. Abruptly she cried out some noise of realization and an apology as she stood hastily. Her footing stuttered and her knees went numb.

Both Akaashi and Tsubasa jerked as her legs nearly gave out beneath her, and when the girl steadied herself with a hand slamming down on her desk, she breathed another apology. Their classmates, some of which were staying while the rest were leaving, looked to the two of them upon hearing the resounding slam. The lot of them then blinked in confusion, but ultimately turning their faces away.

"There's no need to apologize," Akaashi said as he held their lunches in his left hand. With his other hand, he offered it to the obviously-shaken girl. _Is it her anemia?_ "Are you okay? Do you not feel well? I can bring you to the nurse, if you'd like." _Or is it something else?_

Her eyes strayed on his outstretched hand, and going against the almost-natural feeling she had to accept his help, she turned her face away and clenched her fists. Akaashi's eyes widened just a bit.

"It's fine," she murmured, lifting a hand to rub at her eyes furiously. _Keiji, you're always a big help. Crying in front of you, talking with you about personal things, all of those came so naturally when it's you. But…_ "I just didn't sleep too well last night. I'll be fine when we eat!"

 _This is something I have to face by myself._

Akaashi blinked down at her slowly. _She's putting up a wall._ Almost tutting, his lips parted. _I understand that I'm not Bokuto-san, or even Kuroo-san or Kozume. I understand that as open as we've been with each other, there is still distance between us. But..._

"If that's the case-" _-then look me in the eye and say it._ "-then let's get going."

"Yeah."

And somehow there was distance between their shoulders as they walked. The two of them managed casual chatter as usual, holding a lax conversation about the different flavors of milk in the school's vending machines as they decided to buy a drink this time around. They made their way through the somewhat-crowded hallways and staircases while ignoring the star-struck gazes of other students in the same grade, and soon enough, they were on the school's ground floor where the cafeteria and other such facilities were located. Tsubasa tilted her head curiously as Akaashi froze in his tracks.

She turned ahead and found his gaze connected with that of some other male, who was obviously much more aged than the both of them combined. The male, who might have been Tsubasa's height, was dressed in some simple dark grey suit with an intense blue tie - an outfit that seemed to be the matured version of the students' uniforms. Abruptly, Akaashi bowed at the waist, prompting Tsubasa to perk up and copy him. Curiously, despite her inner turmoil, she looked up through her white locks.

"Principal Hayashi," Akaashi said in lieu of greeting. Tsubasa's eyes widened and she lowered her gaze. "It is a relief to see you. I apologize once more on behalf of the volleyball team. Thank you for lifting the ban on morning practice." Hearing the old man step closer to them, the two teens stood up straight. "How are your injuries?"

"It was but a minor fracture, Akaashi-kun," the old man, otherwise known as Hayashi Yoi, said softly. "I was just on my way to tell Bokuto-kun that he may spend lunch with you now." His voice, so gentle and blessed with a bass-like timbre, somehow had the vice-captain of the volleyball club stiffening. The small man then turned his gaze to the girl, where his small eyes, barely open beneath the wrinkles and the age, widened slightly.

Akaashi perked up at the principal's obvious attention on the girl, but before he could question it, he gestured to her simply. Tsubasa bowed. "This is Hakurei Tsubasa. She's a friend in my class and one of the new volleyball club managers."

"Nice to meet you!"

Principal Hayashi blinked at the white-haired girl slowly. Hesitantly, Tsubasa peeked up at him beneath her bangs, only to squeak as their eyes met. She pressed her lips into a thin line. _When am I supposed to stand back up?_

"Hakurei Teruo."

Tsubasa stilled. Her eyes widened slowly. Finding the name somewhat familiar thanks to his father, Akaashi blinked at their principal with a tilted head. The old man continued, smiling slightly.

"That man was your father, yes?" he prompted. "He must have been. There's no mistaking that white hair. Please stand, Hakurei-san."

She gulped thickly. Doing as the old man had politely asked, Tsubasa lifted her upper body up and stood as straight as her quaking legs would have allowed her. Akaashi's own eyes widened at the stricken expression upon her pretty face; he'd seen her stupidly happy, childishly mad, and casually tearful - but the quiet expression of pure panic rendered him speechless.

"I knew it!" the principal laughed, only to pause to wheeze into his elbow. Tsubasa's shoulders flinched when his attention returned to her. "I wasn't sure if you really were Teruo-kun's daughter when my grandson, your homeroom teacher, told me of a Hakurei Tsubasa pleading on behalf of the volleyball club, but I know now. To think you've not only come to my school, but have also chosen to participate in our star club makes me very happy!"

Akaashi blinked down at the girl. _She did? I didn't know that._

Tsubasa laughed shakily with some wavering smile. _He knew father? I know I said I was going to abuse some power that day, but this isn't what I intended. All I knew... was that Tachibana-sensei is his grandson._ "Ah h-ha... uh... I-I see... Um... H-how did you... know my father?"

Principal Hayashi smiled fondly at the question, as it prompted a flood of warm memories that brought with them a nostalgic smell of cinnamon and coffee. "I was well-acquainted with Teruo-kun and his best friend Hiroaki-kun. I was one of their most frequent customers back in the golden days of Powder. I'm glad to see Masumi-kun is still continuing the business."

Tsubasa gulped once more as she laced her fingers together in front of her. Her thumbs twiddled with one another. "I-I... see... T-thank you. I'm sure... he would have loved to see you again."

Akaashi ripped his eyes off of the shaken girl, and chose instead to watch the principal. His lips remained sealed.

 _There are too many things I do not know. Things that I cannot deduce from silent observation. These things require time, and patience, and maybe even a blatant question._ _But in the meantime, what am I supposed to do?_ _Standing here, listening and unable to do anything, is painful._

 _What would Bokuto-san do if he were the one standing here?_

Principal Hayashi frowned softly at the young girl's response. "I know it has been years since he has passed on, but you have my condolences. It's such a shame that a beautiful artist such as Teruo-kun passed away before he even reached age 40."

Tsubasa nodded quickly, pulling at her fingers to keep herself composed. Akaashi returned his gaze to her. He found her eyes frozen at a dark grey.

"You..." The girl's voice was smaller than it had ever been in the short time he had known her. Akaashi archived the weak and vulnerable tone deep within his mind. "You really knew my father?"

Principal Hayashi nodded. "Yes." The old man smiled then, a soft grin that radiated warmth and empathy. "Your father was the _greatest_ artisan I have ever met in my entire life. From visual arts to crafts, to music and to food - he was spectacular! His violins were truly magical, whether or not you could play the instrument."

Tsubasa gulped. A feeling similar to nausea had her swaying just a bit on her feet, while the dizziness caused by her pounding heartbeat had her seeing spots in her vision. Akaashi tensed, prepared to catch her if need be.

"I-" Tsubasa slapped the back of her hand against her lips. "I see… T-thank you very much."

The old man nodded warmly. "Of course. Anyway, you have an older brother don't you?" Her eyes widened. "How is he doing?"

And grey was immediately black.

* * *

"Ne, Suzumeda-chan!"

Kaori blinked as she looked over her shoulder. She was just about to leave her classroom and trot on over to the cafeteria to spend lunch with Yukie, when a few of her female classmates called out to her. The two girls, both of them shorter than the first-year manager, smiled excitedly.

"You're a manager for the volleyball team now, right?" one of them prompted. "What do you have to say about it?"

Again, Kaori blinked. "What? About what?"

"You haven't heard?" the second one asked with surprised eyes. "There's a rumor going on about the second-year manager and the vice-captain! I heard there was a small fight in their class because those two wouldn't come out with the truth!"

…ah. And again, Kaori was blinking. "E-eh?"

The first girl giggled. "Why are they denying it? It's obvious, you know? Of course the White Haired Beauty and one of Fukuroudani's idols would be together!"

Kaori stared at the two females quietly with pursed lips. When their giggling died down, she quirked an eyebrow at them. "Akaashi-senpai and Tsubasa-senpai aren't dating. They're just friends. Why are you assuming they're together?" She then sweat-dropped. "And what's with those titles? White Haired Beauty? Idol? I don't know anyone like that."

The girls frowned, obviously disheartened at the statements. "E-eh…"

Kaori huffed at the two of them. "I don't know Akaashi-senpai well enough to defend him, but…" The two girls squeaked in fright as she glared lightly. "Tsubasa-senpai doesn't deserve this disrespect. She's kind, and she works hard. Don't muddle what she truly is with some stupid title."

And the two girls were shrinking back. "W-we're sorry!"

Somewhat satisfied, but more annoyed than anything, Kaori resumed on her way to the cafeteria with crossed arms. She clenched her fists and pressed her lips against one another, oblivious to the chatter and the students rushing around her.

"Did you hear?"

 _After I was so rude and mean to Tsubasa-senpai…_

"I heard! They're in the infirmary right now, right? Say, let's go peak!"

 _After I got in the way of her resolve…_

"Wait- what? What happened?"

 _She offered her hand to me._

"The White Haired Beauty collapsed by the cafeteria!"

Kaori froze. Her ears strained to listen.

"She and the idol amongst our second-years were talking to Principal Hayashi- and bam! She passed out!"

 _She offered her hand to me._

 _And she smiled._

The trio of students whom Kaori had been unintentionally eavesdropping on blinked in surprise as she suddenly took off down the hall, booking it up the staircases. Confused, but not caring enough to question her actions, they continued with their gossip.

* * *

"You look like some creepy stalker standing at the window like that," Komi commented with a crooked grin.

Bokuto, who was standing pressed up against the windows of his classroom, pouted and smushed his cheek even harder against the glass. He squinted one eye to a complete close while keeping a close lookout with his other eye. "Because... Tsubasa and Akaashi usually walk by around this time... Argh! I'm jealous! I wanna have lunch with them too!"

"Strange how the principal unbanned morning practice, but kept the ban on you during lunch," Sarukui then said, seated at the desk in front of Bokuto's.

The captain and ace huffed at the statement, but couldn't deny his own confusion. Still, he continued pressing his face up against the window, if only to ignore the feelings of uneasiness that were steadily growing in his gut. The clouds outside were darker than they were that morning.

"Somehow..." Bokuto said, speaking up once more. "I don't feel right..."

Konoha, who was fooling around nearby on his phone, gave a quiet hum. "You're just upset because your jinx didn't work."

"It's not because of the weather! I just- feel weird-"

The door slammed open. "Senpai!" The third-years jumped in surprised at the sudden cry, and when they looked to the door, they found Kaori standing up against the doorframe panting heavily.

Komi, who had known both Kaori and Yukie before high school and even junior high, perked up. He grinned crookedly. "Which senpai do you mean, Bakaori-"

"Tsubasa-senpai!" Kaori exclaimed, finally standing up straight and taking a single step into the classroom. "T-Tsubasa-senpai is in the infirmary!" Their eyes widened. "I-I heard that-"

Bokuto breezed past her, throwing himself out the classroom and down the hall. Kaori watched as his back disappeared, before she looked up as Komi and the other two third-years approached her.

"What happened?" Komi questioned, frowning in concern. "Tsu-chan's in the infirmary? Is Akaashi with her?"

Kaori nodded, clenching her fists. "Yes, I think he is. I heard from some other students that she collapsed by the cafeteria. The two of them were talking to Principal Hayashi, I think."

"Ugh, the principal?" Konoha muttered, grimacing. "I don't think that's any reason to collapse though."

Kaori exhaled softly. The irritation from her previous conversation with her classmates was still raking away at her nerves. "My classmates are spreading rumors about them... Apparently they had some scuffle with their classmates?"

"Ah, Akaashi told us about that," Sarukui commented, leaning back against a desk. "He said the two of them had been ostracized. But it didn't seem like it affected either of them."

And the four teens were looking amongst each other, confused and concerned.

 _This is..._

Konoha sighed harshly and leaned against a desk as well. He pressed his palms atop the cool surface and dropped his head back, staring up at the ceiling with hooded eyes. "Bye, peaceful days~"

 _...the beginning of a rift._

* * *

The door slammed open.

Both the nurse and Akaashi jumped in surprise as Bokuto came hurtling into the room, and after glancing around hastily, he began throwing the various curtains aside to look for where his best friend rested. Finally coming upon Tsubasa's area, situated right by the nurse's desk towards the corner, Bokuto's amber irises flew right over Akaashi. He pushed the male aside and practically threw himself atop the bed, reaching to poke and prod the girl appropriately.

"Oi- what are you doing, Bokuto-kun?!" the nurse cried, standing from her chair. Akaashi stood just as quickly.

"They're childhood friends," the second-year said, standing and stepping away from the third-year as he did whatever he needed to. "They've known each other since infancy. He's just worried."

The nurse huffed and sat back down, returning her attention to the computer screen. Bokuto, who had one hand pressed against the side of Tsubasa's neck to check her pulse and the other pressed against the left side of her abdomen to feel for any irregularities, blinked in confusion when he found all was in check.

"I can't feel her spleen... Her heart's fine... She's sleeping..." the young man murmured to himself, his eyes wide as films and films of knowledge played within his mind. "She's a little pale, but her breathing's even... Then she collapsed for some reason other than her anemia? What happened?"

Again, the nurse puffed out a breath of annoyance and crossed her arms. "I'm glad you asked. According to her medical records, Kageyama-san- _oi_!"

The world was a blur. Akaashi breathed in sharply as he abruptly found his back slamming up against the wall, his feet raised off the ground and the backs of his knees colliding with a small table by Tsubasa's bed. He gulped, tensing up from the feral glare in Bokuto's amber irises. With Bokuto's fingers curling violently into Akaashi's blazer, easily tearing the seams and threads apart, the third-year growled in the small space between them.

" _What happened_?"

As frightening as it was, it was hard to look away from the threatening glint in his eyes. "We were on our way to buy drinks from the vending machines," Akaashi said as calmly as he could. He clenched his fists by his side. "And we ran into Principal Hayashi. Apparently the principal knew Tsubasa-san's father, so they talked for a bit about him."

"And then?"

"...then he asked how her older brother was doing, and she fainted afterwards. I carried her here, and it's been ten minutes since then."

Bokuto blinked slowly. His fingers sluggishly unfurled from Akaashi's blazer as he gently dropped the second-year, who stumbled just a bit due to the table right behind him. The nurse stood at that moment and tapped an impatient foot.

"If you two are done," she said, glaring at them lightly, "then we can get some real things done. It's best for Kageyama-san to head home for the rest of today. Akaashi-kun, please retrieve Kageyama-san's things and have whatever lunch you can. As for Bokuto-kun, you can stay here until lunch ends. I'll contact her family and tell her homeroom teacher in the meantime."

Akaashi nodded while Bokuto stood there simply. He blinked. _Kageyama-san?_

As the nurse made her exit to the faculty office, an awkward-sort of silence filled the room. Akaashi hesitantly looked to Bokuto from the corner of his eye. His gaze briefly flickered over to the girl, whom he had learned too much of in a short amount of time, before he dropped his gaze away. He turned, moving to leave the room as well.

"I'll return soon with Tsubasa-san's things."

"Akaashi."

The male paused right before the doorway. "Yes?"

"Who is Kageyama?"

Akaashi blinked at the third-year slowly. _He doesn't know._ He averted his gaze once more. "Apparently it's Tsubasa-san's last name. I just learned about it today from the nurse. Will that be all, Bokuto-san?"

"...yeah. Thanks."

Akaashi bowed without another word, before he forced himself to leave the office with clenched fists and pursed lips. Although the moment of Bokuto's animalistic protection was fresh before his mind's eye, the moments before the captain had come were hard to shake off.

* * *

 **The nurse's office, before Bokuto arrived.**

"Well, she doesn't seem to be dehydrated, and her heart-rate has finally calmed down," the nurse said as she released Tsubasa's hand. Akaashi listened intently as he sat beside the bedridden girl. His hands clenched anxiously atop his lap. "Let me check her medical records for a clue, alright?"

"Yes."

It was more or less a familiar scene. Sitting beside an unconscious loved one in the hospital and waiting on a collection of things, such as for that loved one to wake up or for the doctor to drop whatever news of impending doom they had - it was all familiar. And more or less, it was a stress-inducing scene that had the male viciously trying to convince himself that the current situation was vastly different from the past situation.

 _This is the nurse's office at school, not the hospital in Western Tokyo. This isn't room 105 on the second floor of the east wing in the emergency section._

 _This is Tsubasa-san._

 _Not mother._

The silence of the nurse's office was filled with the clicking of a mouse. Akaashi's navy irises rested on the sleeping girl as she snored lightly, her eyes closed peacefully while her breaths came out evenly. She had collapsed out of the blue after the principal had asked how her brother was doing (which was understandable, considering the answer to the question), and the male had abandoned their bentos on the floor in order to catch the girl before she hit the ground. Now, they were situated in a small space that was secluded by a thin, light blue curtain, and through the curtain, Akaashi heard the nurse make a noise of understanding.

"Ah, I see," the nurse said, located outside the curtain and by a desk under the window. "It seems Kageyama-san has had a history of clinical depression, alongside a minor case of genetic anemia and consistent anxiety attacks from the past two years."

Akaashi's eyes widened. He stared at the thin curtain. "Ka... Kageyama... san?" _Wait. Clinical depression? Anxiety attacks? Consistently? What?_

"Yes. Kageyama Tsubasa-san?" The nurse briefly pulled the curtain aside to quirk an eyebrow at Akaashi. "You... are close to her, yes? Otherwise, I shouldn't be telling you this. I assumed since you ran in here looking paler than Kageyama-san in your arms, but..."

The boy stiffened and he nodded. "Yes- I'm sorry. I... forgot. She often insists that everyone addresses her by her first name, so..."

"Ah, I see. Continuing on..." The nurse released the curtain and tapped a fingernail against the computer screen, completely unaware of the boy's inner turmoil. "I can't say anything for sure, but I would guess Kageyama-san has simply experienced another anxiety attack. According to her medical records, the last documented one was... around January. I see she's made progress in her recovery."

Akaashi nodded mutely. His wide irises shook as they rested on the girl. _The last documented one. Documented? Then she must have experienced undocumented attacks. Without... anyone knowing? Does Bokuto-san know? Kuroo-san? Kozume? Is this normal? The last one was in January, but that was documented. What about the last undocumented one? She's making progress in her recovery. Recovery? From what?_

 _Who is Kageyama Tsubasa?_

* * *

 **Present time.**

Akaashi paused, finding himself right outside the cafeteria doors. Tsubasa's bento cloth, which was some light yellow with white Totoro figures, lay crumpled and trampled on the floor. He eyed the soft cloth for a minute.

 _Bokuto-san didn't know about her last name. Does he know about her medical history? He seems very aware of her anemia, but..._

The male shook his head suddenly, trying to rid himself of the train-like thoughts. Wordlessly, he bent down and scooped up the cloth, before he continued on his way.

 _Isao must get his overthinking from me._

Back in the nurse's office, Bokuto stared down at Tsubasa's resting face with large eyes, from which his amber irises shook with a sickening combination of fear and confusion. Slowly, he lifted his head as the curtain fluttered slightly, all thanks to the room's opened window. With the smallest shift in the curtain, the third-year found his eyes falling upon the nurse's computer, where Tsubasa's medical records were still open.

Bokuto stood, and like a moth drawn to a flame, he stumbled towards the desk. The mental information bank he had on the girl grew immensely.

The male's ears twitched then, first to the sound of Tsubasa shifting very slightly beneath the thin sheets, and secondly to the quietest tap right outside the window. Soon enough, that single tap was transforming into a consistent pitter-patter that somehow had the male easing up.

 _Ah._

 _It's raining._

* * *

 **word count:** 6,503

 **a/n:** (how am I alive?) **SO A FEW CHANGES/THINGS:**

1) I changed the time period for how long Akaashi's dad is gonna be gone, so instead of one month, it's three. It just felt right to me, idk. The scene is basically the same, but just for reference, that moment's in chapter 10 :P

2) I've been reading the Haikyuu manga (yea I'm late I KNOW) and having just finished the Fukuroudani vs Nekoma match, I have... realized that the canon coach isn't the young blonde guy I've written out. Probably what I'll do is go through the chapters and edit the coach I've written out, like change his name and make him like assistant coach or something, so then there'll probably be some moment in the future chapters where the actual coach returns. I like sticking as close to the canon as possible, so yeah. It's not a big change though, so no worries.

3) AND DAMN THIS IS LATE BUT I _am_ working on a Halloween omake chapter and a Thanksgiving one; not a Christmas one though, since I'm thinking I wanna end this story in the story-time Christmas time. _**Not real life Christmas time**_ , so don't worry; REAL! isn't ending anytime soon, but I am thinking I want the final chapters, whenever the hell they come, to be centered around the in-story Christmas and New Year's time.

Anddd that's that, I guess. My new class schedule for Nov/Dec is uh *coughs* 9 hour classes every day Mon through Sun - so wish me luck! Thankfully there's Thanksgiving Break next week so I'll only have class on Mon-Wed, but I _am_ preparing for the worst. Hope you guys are doing well, and thanks as always for reading! Thanks for reading, the reviews, and of course, the follows! I look forward to seeing you guys next chapter!

Take care!

-glasses cloth


	13. 13

**13 the fear of loss doesn't die with the loved one**

 _The two of them were walking home from a long day at school; it was only the second day of their very first year of their educational careers, also known as first grade. Koutarou had something akin to an anxiety attack around lunchtime, as he was yet again separated from his best friend for longer than his little mind could handle. The grey-haired child was simply trying to leave the school grounds so he could spend lunch with his best friend, who was a year younger than him, when the teachers told him that such an action was against the rules._

 _A number of things had then happened._

 _First was the misunderstanding. Koutarou, with his small and immature mind, misunderstood the teacher's words as: "It's against the rules for you to be with your best friend."_

 _Second was the tantrum. His bag and school supplies went flying first as a defense system against the teachers. When told once again that he could not leave, a chair went flying and then a desk followed soon after, resulting in a rise of fear and confusion amongst the faculty._

 _Thirdly, when the dust had cleared and everyone around him was staring wide-eyed and afraid, he had come to his senses (somewhat) and sank to his knees, sobbing into his little palms about how he only wanted to see his best friend. Tetsurou, who was his neighbor both in the class seating arrangement and in their actual physical neighborhood outside of school, offered to take him home._

 _(The only reason the teachers allowed this was because Tetsurou was outsmarting all the teachers and Koutarou was obviously having a bad day.)_

 _((All of the teachers needed to get together to discuss how to deal with those two specifically, in short.))_

 _Tetsurou coughed awkwardly into his fist, his hazel eyes wandering around the neighborhood as they soon entered a familiar street. "You know, um… This best friend of yours won't always be around. You're gonna grow-"_

 _"Shut up!"_

 _Tetsurou stiffened and pursed his lips as Koutarou jumped forward, shoving his face in the other's. Koutarou, his amber irises large and glossy, sniffed loudly with his glare._

 _"Tsubasa has always been there!" the boy asserted as he began hiccuping. "And- and she'll continue to be there!"_

 _Tetsurou waved his hands and took a step back, only for the other boy to step forward. "O-okay, okay, I get it! S-sorry about that! Just- back off, will ya? I got you out of that place, you know."_

 _…ah. Koutarou sniffled and leaned back, wiping his eyes furiously. "How are you alive without someone like her?" he then muttered in confusion, almost to himself. Tetsurou blinked, before Koutarou lowered his arm and narrowed his golden eyes. "You must be pretty lonely without someone like that. Don't you want a best friend too?"_

 _And then he was running off. Tetsurou stared after the grey-haired boy as he took off down the street, skidding to a stop before the house that laid directly across from his. Something gleamed between the green and brown strands of his hazel irises as he watched Koutarou barge into the house with some blindingly-bright smile, cheering a name from the top of his lungs happily. Before the door closed, Tetsurou caught the faintest traces of white with his eyes, while his ears latched on to the faintest melodies of what seemed to be heaven. He slowly made his way to his own house._

A best friend, huh?

* * *

Sarukui hummed thoughtfully as he gazed out the window of the clubroom, before he buttoned up his shirt and reached into his locker. "The rain hasn't let up at all."

Komi nodded, huffing as he stuffed his practice clothes into his bag. "I know. I wanted to get ice today too!"

"Does rain put a damper on ice-pops?" Konoha then questioned, slinging his blazer over his shoulder as he closed his locker. "Whatever. Why don't we get ramen today since it's close to the train station? Been a while since we actually ate properly."

"Ooh! I'm up if you pay for it!"

" _All_ of it? Komiyan, please. Who do you think I am?"

Washio hummed softly from his locker, before he looked to the two. "That's not a bad idea. I'll pay a fourth."

"Nice, Washi Tape! What about you, Bokuto?" Konoha asked, turning to the captain on his left. Bokuto quietly closed his locker, slinging his bags over his shoulder as he blanketed his head with his blazer.

"Sorry," the captain replied softly. The lot of them blinked at his tame behavior. "I have to do something."

"Eh? Ah-" And the captain was walking out of their clubroom without another word. Konoha blinked. "-okay…"

The volleyball players looked amongst each other. Ultimately, their eyes ended up falling upon Akaashi, who was slower than usual in getting dressed. The second-year, who was just beginning to button up his shirt, was all too oblivious to their staring.

"Bokuto and Akaashi were very out of it today," Washio whispered, just as he and the other third-years huddled together. The third-year then waved Onaga over, and almost awkwardly, the first-year joined their little group.

"It's gotta be Tsubasa-chan," Sarukui said quietly. "I heard she went home early."

Komi frowned, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Bokuto said she was anemic, so maybe it was that?" The libero looked up to Konoha, who was eyeing Akaashi quietly. "Do you know anything, Konoha?"

The blonde huffed, almost annoyed with the situation. "As if. Prodding either of those two isn't the way to go." Konoha hummed then, before he shrugged and looked over his shoulder once more. Akaashi was just beginning to knot his tie. "Oi, Akaashi."

The second-year paused. He blinked slowly, as if awakening from a sluggish daze, and lifted his head. "Yes?"

Konoha removed his wallet from his bag and gave it a wave as he grinned crookedly. "I'm treating us out to ramen. You come too."

Akaashi, again, blinked slowly. He glanced around the clubroom before looking back to the blonde. "Where's Bokuto-san?"

"Said he had something to do. Hurry up and get dressed, alright? It might start raining harder."

Komi and the others stood off to the side and watched silently, almost anxiously as they waited for their vice-captain's response. Akaashi nodded simply and resumed tying his tie, before he grabbed his blazer and let it hang off his shoulder. Closing his lockers with his bags slung around him, he turned and patiently looked to Konoha. The blonde grinned and slapped his shoulder.

 _These moments are rare_ , Komi thought as he analyzed the situation. _But they happen every now and then. Moments where Konoha encourages Akaashi. They've known each other since middle school though, so I guess it's a bit expected._

The libero huffed, but grinned widely anyway as he pushed his fellow starters towards the door.

"Let's get going then!"

* * *

Bokuto pulled his soaking blazer off of his head. He stood on the second floor of a relatively small apartment building, right before the second door on the left side. Dim golden eyes rested on the dented brass doorknob, before dropping down to his side. Quietly, he removed a clenched fist from his pocket, where he unraveled his fingers and revealed a brass key. Masumi's voice echoed in his head.

 _"You're the only one I can trust her to."_

The male stared at the key silently. He then pushed it into the lock and twisted it slowly, before letting himself into Tsubasa's home. Almost immediately, her dog skidded to a stop before him and jumped excitedly in lieu of greeting. Seeing the animal's fluffy existence and wagging tail, the male couldn't help but smile as he crouched and patted the dog's head.

"Pardon my-" _-intrusion._ Bokuto paused. He frowned. "Er- I'm-" _-home. I'm home. Right? Which is it?_

Kou gave a confused tilt of his head. Bokuto huffed as he stood, closing the door quietly.

Leaving his shoes, alongside his bag and sopping wet blazer, at the door, Bokuto stepped into the small apartment quietly. Upon entrance, the male found the kitchen (which was just some small, tiled area for a stove, a sink, and a refrigerator) immediately on his right. The dish-rack was more or less empty, being filled only with a pair of Totoro-printed chopsticks and a small glass. To his left, the door for a small closet was situated alongside two other doors, one of which, if Bokuto remember correctly, led to a small closet that contained the washer, while the other led to the bathroom. This door, he noticed, had light streaming from the cracks. Bokuto blinked.

 _She's awake._ He took another step into the home, soon followed by another and another. Upon hearing the calming silence from within the bathroom, accompanied by maybe the occasional sloshing of water, the male released a breath of relief. Boktuo lifted his hand to pull the door open.

 _Kageyama Tsubasa._

His hand froze.

 _Clinically depressed. I knew that. I figured after she told me about everything that had happened. Considering what she's been through, it's only natural. And anxiety comes with depression, kinda. I knew that._

 _I know this._

 _But..._

His fingers twitched suddenly. Abruptly, his index finger came to tap against the wooden framing of the sliding door, thus drawing out the quietest scraping noise that had Bokuto panicking on the spot. When nothing happened, he breathed another relieved sigh and slouched on the spot. Kou, who had been glued to the male's side, blinked and tilted his head. The dog then scratched the bathroom door with a dainty paw, prompting Bokuto to stiffen immediately. A faint sound, reminiscent of water splashing, came from inside the bathroom.

"Kou?" came Tsubasa's muffled voice. Bokuto pulled at his hair and looked down to the husky with an expression that cried for help. Kou blinked back dumbly. "Are you playing with the door? Please don't break it like last time."

The dog blinked again at Bokuto, before tilting his head at the door. Suddenly, he barked and fitted his nose into the small dip of the sliding door, prompting Bokuto to viciously (but silently) plead for the dog to stop whatever he was doing. Kou, not at all heeding the male's words, threw the sliding door all the way open with a quick nudge of his nose. The door slamming had Bokuto gaping speechlessly at the animal, an expression that remained even as the dog sat simply as if he'd done nothing.

Inside the bathroom, Bokuto spotted the toilet right across from him with a sink on the left, while to the right stood a pair of sliding doors - which presumably led to the bathtub and shower. The male gulped as those sliding doors suddenly slammed open.

"Kou! What are-"

Ah. The two best friends blinked at each other. Tsubasa, with her long white locks serving as her only means of coverage, stared as Bokuto broke into a nervous sweat.

"Um-" he stuttered out. Without a hint of a blush or any consciousness of the naked female before him, he pointed over his shoulder with both hands. "I'll- go make dinner- or something."

"I already ate."

"...oh. Um. Then..."

The girl sighed at him, before she closed the bath door quietly. "You can bathe after I finish. From the looks of it, practice just ended, right? Go make something for yourself."

Bokuto blinked at the door. A surge of childish annoyance suddenly rose up in his gut, and as he puffed his cheeks out and pursed his lips in an immature pout, he threw the door open hard enough to make it shake against the doorframe. Tsubasa squeaked in surprise, just as she was settling back into the warm waters.

"I'll bathe with you!"

Tsubasa blinked, but before she could even think of protesting, the male was already stripped down to his underwear. The girl gawked at him.

 _Seriously?!_

* * *

Akaashi inhaled sharply all of a sudden and went to clutch at his shirt, just as some annoying prickly feeling began to pick at his throat. _What is this? I-_

 _I'm pissed all of a sudden._

Konoha, who was seated next to the vice-captain, quirked a brow at him and the threatening air he began to exude. "You alright? You're not the one who used to smoke; you shouldn't be emitting this kind of atmosphere."

Ah. Akaashi's murderous aura died down as frowned slightly at his senpai. "Please don't joke about your past like that."

"Yes, yes~ Anyway, what're you getting?"

"Ramen, of course."

" _Listen you little punk_ -"

The rain still hadn't let up. After Konoha had led the way to a small and traditional ramen shop that was close to their station, the lot of them had settled atop the barstools with their bags on the floor. It was a warm place of dark wood and savory smells; the traditional Japanese doors were cracked open just a bit to let the steam out, and while a rectangular bar took up a majority of the shop, the rest of the space was occupied by ironically-empty tables. Konoha, who seemed friendly with the shop owner, had relieved Washio of payment duties after deciding to pay for everything himself - an act that had the newborn tension easing up.

"Konoha-san, is it alright if I order something to bring home to my siblings?" Akaashi asked politely.

The blonde shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, go ahead. I was gonna get something for Hitoshi too."

Washio perked up, before he too looked back to the menu thoughtfully. "Perhaps I should do the same. My younger sister was looking forward to me coming home."

"Geh- you ditched your baby sis for us?" Komi prompted. Suddenly, tears pooled at the corner of his eyes. "W-Washi Tape, I'm moved! I'll pay for whatever you get for your sis!"

"No you won't!" Konoha yelled, leaning over the bar and waving his wallet in Komi's face. " _I'm_ paying! _I_ wanna pay! Back off!"

Seated on Akaashi's left, Sarukui and Onaga sweat-dropped as the two began bickering.

"It's been a while since the last time he was generous," Sarukui commented. "But he's always held us together like that, now that I think of it."

"I-I'm a bit surprised, honestly," Onaga then said, catching Akaashi's and Sarukui's attention. "Konoha-san seems like a relatively lazy and selfish guy who only likes his horror movies."

"You're not wrong, Onaga," Akaashi said, dropping his gaze down to the menu in his hand. "He _is_ a relatively lazy and selfish person. He only does what he wants or whatever's fun. But because of that, it's easy to tell when he's being genuine, so you don't need to hold back on occasions like this."

Sarukui nodded, patting Onaga's shoulder. "It's hard to take in at first, but you'll get used to it. You're planned to be a starter, after all."

"Y-yes! T-thank you very much!"

"But anyway..." Sarukui pointed to Washio, who was doing whatever he could to ease up the blonde and the libero. "When did we start calling Washio 'Washi Tape'?"

Akaashi squinted at the words of the menu. "Tsubasa-san coined the nickname during Golden Week," he answered. "Since she likes stationary and journaling and things like that, his name reminded her of washi tape, and before she knew it, she was calling him that. She apologized many times but couldn't seem to stop, so Washio-san has accepted it."

"Heh..." Sarukui leaned on the counter, where he smiled at the second-year slightly. "You two are good friends, hm?"

"I suppose."

"Is something bothering you?"

"...I suppose." Akaashi slowly began to lower the menu atop his lap, for the words weren't coming out clearly in his vision. "When we walked to school this morning, I thought she seemed different. But I didn't want to prod her. We've talked about personal things before, but she's usually the one to speak up, so I didn't want to prod her if she wasn't ready to talk. And then she collapsed today. When Bokuto-san came into the nurse's office, it felt as though he was accusing me."

Konoha and Komi, who had quit their fighting upon hearing their vice-captain speak up, leaned over just a bit to listen. Sarukui nodded, humming to urge the boy on.

"I don't know if he was accusing me of being the reason for her collapse, or for not properly watching over her, but regardless..." His grip tightened into the laminated menu. "I didn't do anything. Even though I knew she was troubled."

The third-years blinked at each other, while Onaga gaped. _Akaashi-san actually feels things like this and willingly talks about them? W-what a surprise..._

"Akaashi, somehow..." Komi grinned crookedly. "You're kinda dumb, aren't you?"

...ah. The second-year deadpanned at the third-year. "My grades are number one in my year."

"No- like with people!"

"Bokuto-san has precisely 37 weaknesses. When Konoha-san is having a good day, he will go for more spikes and will perform at least one dump. Onaga hesitates to act in practice but is steadily improving in both skill and attitude. Tsubasa-san-"

Komi held up his hands. "O-okay okay, we get it! You understand people really well!"

"Hold on," Konoha said, leaning closer to Akaashi. "What was that about Tsubasa-chan?"

Akaashi blinked at the blonde slowly. His lips parted, and with the slightest breath, he continued. "Tsubasa-san is easily excited, and easily brought down. She gets very excited with learning something new, but even she hits her own walls. When she hits a wall, or is stuck in deep thought, she taps the fingers on her left hand rhythmically while she keeps time with her foot. She's fixated on living a normal life as a teenager, and when doing normal, mundane things such as walking home or even having lunch with a friend, she holds back tears of happiness."

Konoha watched as Akaashi's eyes drifted down to his palms, which had clenched atop his lap after dropping the menu.

"She takes a lot of pictures thinking that I don't notice, but I do. And she thinks I don't notice how out of breath she gets after she bikes to Masumi-san's shop, but I do. And despite her openness, she is secretive about certain things- things she has subconsciously mentioned to me. And knowing that a specific something is bothering her but not knowing the specifics of that specific thing is torture. She put up a wall out of nowhere, and I don't want it there."

"And why do you think that is?" Komi prompted, crossing his arms over the counter.

"Because I'm worried about her, of course."

Sarukui leaned closer to the boy. "And why are you so worried about her?"

Akaashi blinked slowly.

"Because we're friends."

The third-years aside from Washio slammed their foreheads on the counter and banged their fists atop the wood.

 _This fucking guy!_

Onaga sweat-dropped at his senpai, but figured he couldn't blame them. Even Washio was a bit upset and disappointed with the outcome, for he too was thinking that their vice-captain was finally realizing his feelings. The chef, who was patiently waiting on the other end of the bar and completely but unintentionally listening in on the conversation, finally approached them with a wide smile.

"So what d'ya kids want?"

* * *

Tsubasa grumbled at the (bare) male before her. Her (bare) arms hugged her (bare) knees to her (bare) chest in some uncomfortable and tense position, while Bokuto sat across rom here in a much, _much_ more relaxed state. His head leaned back on the rim of the tub and his buff arms lined up along the outside, while his knees poked out from the water's surface and the tops of his feet more or less cradled the girl's (bare) ass. She exhaled sharply through her nose and blew bubbles in the water.

"What?" Bokuto asked, lifting his head and quirking a brow at her. The girl immediately splashed water in his face.

"What the fuck do you mean 'what'?!"

"My eyes!" Bokuto whined as he rubbed the water out of his eyes. "What're you so conscious for? We always bathed together, even in elementary school. The only reason we stopped was because you left!"

"I mean-" The girl grumbled once more, but ultimately, her arms began to relax. Her hair flowed around her as she leaned against the tub. "-that's not wrong, I guess..." _I just don't want you to see my scars._

Bokuto hummed, quirking an eyebrow at her. He then shrugged, sinking further into the water and snorting out bubbles. "The water isn't really hot..."

Tsubasa perked up. "Ah, sorry. The steam makes me dizzy so I keep the water at this temperature. I can make it hotter though, if you want."

"No, it's fine, it's fine! I don't want you fainting on me." The male then smirked. "Besides, it's hot enough with a _big_ guy like me here- ow!"

Bokuto yelped as Tsubasa chucked a bottle of body wash at his face, which burst open upon impact.

"Shut up, _Boketo_!"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! I won't make jokes like that! Sheesh..." Bokuto huffed as he grabbed a nearby rag to wipe off whatever body wash had managed to escape the bottle. Upon cleaning his face, he looked down at the vanilla and coconut-scented liquid, before he smirked once more. "Hey, this looks like- wait. What are you doing. Wait- wait wait I'm sorry no Tsu _basa please no don't squirt shampoo in my eyes- argh_!"

* * *

"Argh! I'm sick of it!" Konoha suddenly yelled, slamming another fist down on the counter as he stood. Washio apologized to the chef on behalf of his teammates, while the blonde turned to Akaashi violently, who simply blinked. "If you can't realize by yourself, then _I'll_ fucking tell you!"

Again, Washio was profusely apologizing to the chef, who simply waved a hand and sighed dreamily at their youth. Akaashi blinked once more.

"Eh?"

"No, don't do it!" Komi cried, standing from his stool as well and gripping the blonde's shirt. "There's no point if he doesn't realize by himself!"

"I don't care, this is stressing me out! Forget about the bet, this has been going on for chapters!"

"What do you mean by chapters?!"

As Konoha struggled against the shorter male, both Akaashi and Sarukui looked around the restaurant quickly; they found that only one of the tables and a few of the barstools further away from them were occupied. Regardless of how little people were in the shop, fact of the matter was that the volleyball players were being stared at and watched for entertainment.

"K-Konoha, people are watching!" Sarukui hissed.

Akaashi nodded, raising his hands in surrender. "Please calm down, Konoha-san-"

"When are you going to realize-" Komi yelped as he fell back, allowing for Konoha to grab Akaashi by his shirt and shake him. "-th _at you are in lo_ \- mphphp?!"

Ah. Akaashi blinked wildly as Washio reached over Komi to cover the blonde's mouth. "Onaga, hurry and order."

The first-year perked up in surprise before he quickly turned to the chef as the man darted to his side. After everyone placed their orders, Washio released their blonde after ensuring he was calm so that he could order as well. Soon enough, the lot of them were awkwardly looking down at their varied bowls of ramen and clumsily giving thanks.

 _W-we made even more tension!_

* * *

He was drying her hair just like the first night of Golden Week. Tsubasa hummed peacefully and leaned back into his palms, wordlessly requesting that he massage her scalp. He did so without a complaint, finding himself more than happy to put the girl at ease. The two had finished their bath (together) just ten minutes ago, and as the male had yet to have dinner, they ordered pizza since the girl didn't have enough ingredients to cook him a proper meal (all she had in her pantry was instant ramen and popcorn). Now, with the girl clad in some gigantic sweater and the male donning a a clean pair of boxers beneath a clean shirt (he had left clothes at her place after his last visit), they were sitting in her room atop her futon and waiting for the pizza delivery man patiently.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bokuto asked quietly.

"Yes~" the girl answered, her eyelids closing slowly. "I collapse every now and then. It happens."

The male bit down on his bottom lip. His fingers curled into the fluffy towel, ultimately tugging on the girl's locks. She opened her eyes and sat up to look over her shoulder.

"Kouta-"

"You're lying..." he muttered, letting his head hang. His grey and black locks fell over his eyes. "'Every now and then' my ass... The last one was in January. You're lying to me. Why are you lying to me?"

Tsubasa's eyes widened. _Eh?_ She twisted her body to face him and leaned closer to him. "What do-"

The male lifted his face. The darkening glint of his amber eyes easily drew out the demons within the girl's mind, all of them clawing and gnawing against the mental confines she had established in order to contain them. Meeting the twisted expression of betrayal upon Bokuto's face gave those demons the chance they needed to poke their noises out of the surface, their delirious breaths fanning out into the part of Tsubasa that was calm and tranquil. Such a breach had the sharpest of knives jabbing the icy state of her heart, slowly picking little bits and pieces off until a sudden crack broke through each chamber. Her breath caught in her throat, and her silvery irises shook.

 _I hurt him._

Tsubasa gulped. "What... do you mean?"

"I saw your medical records on the nurse's computer."

Her heartbeat stuttered.

"I- I figured you were clinically depressed-" he started, his eyes squinting due to the sheer emotion of his frown. "But severe anxiety? Consistent attacks from the past two years? What- _what is that_?!" Tsubasa visibly flinched at his raise in volume. Briefly, darkness blacked out her vision to flash the delusion of a rope before her eyes, before returning her to reality. Her shoulders began shaking. "And who- _who is Kageyama Tsu_ -"

The girl slapped her palms against his mouth and tackled him to the futon. Bokuto grunted and blinked wildly up at the girl as her damp white locks fell around them in a curtain of sacred privacy. Her weight, which was feather-like and barely noticeable, sat atop his abdomen as she pressed her quaking hands harshly- _desperately_ against his lips. Her irises, dark grey and shaking amidst the vast whites of her eyes, pierced the male's resolve and stubbornness.

"Don't yell at me like that," she murmured in gravelly tones. " _I beg of you_. Don't- _don't make me remember what happened to my brother_."

If it were at all possible, the male's eyes grew even more. Tsubasa continued, almost as if she couldn't stop herself.

"I'm sorry," she uttered, her voice shuddering at the traumatizing images in the back of her mind. "I know. _I know_. I should have told you. 'Cause- we're best friends. I came all the way back here just for you. I know- I should have told you I'm so _rry but_ -"

Bokuto reached up to cup her face. Slowly, simply due to the comforting contact, she relieved the pressure on his face. Her hands lowered and fell atop his collarbone as her fingers curled ever so slightly.

"...the last attack was in January," she continued, her eyes beginning to soften up. "So- it didn't occur to me to tell you or warn you about it. I didn't want to bring it up as if it was something that you should be worried about, because it wasn't happening often."

Bokuto frowned, letting his hands drop down to hers. "Then what happened today? Why all of a sudden?"

"...I ran into Yo- Yousuke-san last night." His eyes widened. "So- I've- I've just been thinking- about how to tell him everything... B-but I can't seem to reach an answer. Because no matter how much I've already accepted my situation-" The girl's irises flickered as they glazed over suddenly. "-it's hard after all. _It's hard to tell someone that their best friend committed suicide_."

Liquid crystals crashed onto the male's face. Tsubasa sniffed and lifted her hands up to her face, pressing her palms against her eyes as she leaned down to rest her chest atop his. Bokuto hiccuped and sniffed as well as he tightened his strong arms around her small and relatively weak body. The girl shifted just a bit so her cheek rested against his collarbone.

"A-as for my last name," she continued softly, "I told you that it changed. I never said I changed it back to Hakurei, now did I?"

"...I-I guess," he replied lamely. "When will you change it?"

Tsubasa shrugged, sighing softly. "When I'm stronger."

His embrace tightened. "Yo-nii has been coming home a lot recently, so- I guess you don't wanna sleep over at my place for your birthday?" Bokuto frowned at the idea, but forced his selfishness down. "I-it's fine if you don't want to. I don't want you to push yourself. Just- just please don't..."

The girl sniffed, removing her hands from her face so they could clutch the male's shirt. "Don't what?"

"Please don't go away again."

Her irises glazed over once more, and she moved to bury her face into his neck.

"I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Akaashi blinked rapidly at the sight of the puffy-eyed teen before him, whose grey and black locks laid across his forehead rather than being styled upwards as per usual. Morning was sluggish for both parties, as the awkward and tense ramen session from last night had Akaashi overthinking nearly everything he had said and done with the white-haired girl. On a similar note, Tsubasa and Bokuto had spent last night sobbing over three boxes of large pepperoni pan pizza, ultimately letting out their sorrows and despairs from the past seven years. As such, the girl was still knocked out in her apartment due to a food coma, leaving Bokuto to go in her stead. Masumi stood off to the side awkwardly, smiling stiffly.

"Well, off to morning practice, you two!" the man said with an encouraging clap of his hands. Masumi looked from the corner of his eye to the alleyway beside Powder, where he knew Bokuto's older brother was watching silently. As the two wordlessly strode down the hill, Masumi smirked over his shoulder at the older brother, who simply huffed.

Soon approaching the foot of the hill, Akaashi quietly looked to Bokuto as he sniffed and wiped at his eyes. The vice-captain removed a tissue from his pocket and offered it. Bokuto took it with a pout and blew his nose.

"T-Tsubasa's sick at home, so she won't be here today."

"Okay."

"She said sorry for worrying you."

"It's fine."

"She's also sorry for leaving you alone today."

"It's fine."

"..." Bokuto paused in his steps, just as the school came into clear sight. Akaashi paused as well, looking back at the captain. Bokuto pursed his lips with averted eyes. "Sorry. For slamming you against the wall like that yesterday."

Akaashi blinked. He nodded his head simply. "It's fine. You didn't hurt me, and you were only worried. I understand."

The third-year gritted his teeth, somehow annoyed. "W-what's with you?! Be a little more upset, would ya?! I thought you cared!"

Akaashi quirked an eyebrow. "About Tsubasa-san?"

"Duh! What else?"

Ah. The second-year released some heavy exhale as he clenched his fists. "Of course I care. Of course I'm worried. But compared to you, Bokuto-san, I'm not nearly as close to her." Bokuto blinked as Akaashi turned his back to him, somehow unable to keep up the eye contact. _This is the reality. I'm not Bokuto-san. I can't even compare to him._ "All the time we spend together in class and during lunch will never amount to all the years built between you two. I respect the relationship you have with her, and during times like these when it is you who should be by her side, I'll trust that the reason she returns the next day smiling will be because of you."

 _But even if I say that, even if I know that..._

 _Why do I still want to be the one by her side?_

Akaashi sighed once more, albeit much softer than the first, and he slowly turned back to the captain. _I should tell him that he's been unbanned from having lunch with me._

His lips parted, but his voice hesitated in coming out. The boy blinked slowly.

 _Ah._

 _I don't want to._

Akaashi averted his gaze, before he continued."I get the feeling that you think we're too close as well. But please trust me when I say I have no intentions of getting in between the two of you. Considering our current situation with our classmates, it's only natural that we're together often."

...ah. Bokuto sniffed, meekly reaching for the vice-captain. "A-Akaashi... Y-you're such a man..."

Ignoring the statement, Akaashi turned back ahead and resumed on their way to school. "With that being said, do take care of her. She is your best friend, after all."

 _This is frustrating._

His amber irises gleamed brightly in the morning light, and with a sudden burst of energy, the third-year tackled his kouhai in some bone-crushing embrace. "Hey hey hey! Then let's get going!"

As Bokuto took off with Akaashi trapped beneath his arm, Komi grinned crookedly. He, Sarukui, and Konoha were just arriving at the school gates, thus allowing for them to witness the typical energetic visage of their captain. Komi sighed, but retained his smile.

"Geh. Bokuto's hair is down today. But I guess we worried for nothing overall," the libero mused, folding his arms behind his head as he and Sarukui continued forward. "Looks like we're all good now, right?"

"I guess... Hm?" Finding a certain blonde missing from their group, Sarukui looked over his shoulder curiously. He immediately stiffened and tugged on Komi's arm, pointing a finger at the blonde behind them. Komi gawked.

"W-what's your problem?!" the libero exclaimed as he and Sarukui broke into nervous sweats. Konoha, who was rolling his sleeves up to his elbows, emitted some dark veil of the purest of rage.

"Akaashi, that bastard-!" Washio suddenly came up from behind the blonde and held him back as he moved to storm down the walkway. "He's _backing down from Bokuto what the fu_ \- mphph!"

Washio deadpanned into space as he covered Konoha's mouth, and after a minute of holding the blonde in place, he looked to him. "Are you calm now?"

"...mm."

Komi sweat-dropped beside his fellow starters as Konoha stomped away after being released. "H-he's really into their development, isn't he?"

"Honestly though," Sarukui spoke up, staring after the captain and vice-captain as they disappeared past the main school building. "It doesn't feel like the tension has let up."

A drop of rain tapped his nose then. As Komi and Sarukui rushed to get under cover, Washio calmly removed an umbrella from his bag and resumed walking at his own pace. The rainfall thundered down upon his umbrella, and abruptly, he felt a collection of drops hit his shoulder. Looking up, he found the smallest of rips in the water-proof cloth, which was slowly beginning to grow larger. He blinked.

 _A rift._

* * *

Lunch wasn't the same without her.

Having spent it with Konoha in the staircase that led up to the rooftop, it was noticeably quiet despite the third-year's talkative and gossipy behavior. The blonde led a conversation that was, as he put it, meant to 'catch things up', since the two hadn't spoken privately or personally in what seemed like a while. Despite his active participation in the conversation, however, an odd sort of silence lingered in the back of Akaashi's head and had him much more compliant than most days. Still, it was an enjoyable time - just not as enjoyable as it would have been had a certain white-haired girl been there.

(Konoha, who easily and quickly took notice of the second-year's more submissive behavior, made sure not to mention Tsubasa; he figured that maybe both he and Akaashi were focusing on her a little bit too much.)

((He also didn't want to piss himself off considering his actions that morning.))

Class was a breeze as it usually was, but that too was eerily silent. While his classmates chattered casually and the teachers scolded them accordingly, Akaashi found that that silence in the back of his mind was in more places than one. Its frightening emptiness clawed away at his back and occupied the empty desk beside him, planting the smallest seeds of fear and anxiety deep within his heart so that whatever nightmarish vines grew from it could restrict his heart once again. He could have sworn it even took the form of Tsubasa at some point, blurring out the bright smile he had become so acquainted with. Still, his classmates continued about their business as usual, not sparing him or the empty desk beside him a single glance.

 _It's as if you never existed._

And such a thought had the male pinching the bridge of his nose. It was a foreboding feeling, one that had his mind teetering on thin line strung up above the lands of hell and limbo. A constant tingling along his spine had the boy alert and almost frightful, and before he knew it, the teasing silence was drawing out certain memories he had of the hospital, where the silence was steadily beginning to fill with the dead beep of a heart monitor. He inhaled sharply.

 _Calm down. You're overthinking it. You're just worried. She's strong. She'll be back tomorrow._

 _She'll be back._

When classes ended that day, the male was more or less rushing to get to his clubroom. If he didn't have the girl's comfort, he at least had his teammates to rely on.

(Which was what he thought he knew, but as it turned out, even changing in the nosy clubroom felt deafening.)

Now, around fifteen minutes into practice, the lot of them were taking a quick five minute break after finishing their set of stretches and warm-up laps. Their assistant coach, Yuuto Asuka, was at home after finding himself severely lost in traffic, thus leaving Yukie to manage practice alongside Akaashi - who, of course, seemed much too out of it. Outside their gym doors, which they had to keep closed due to the heavy rain, the consistent pitter-patter of the falling water droplets were just as deafening as that silence in his mind. Nearby, Bokuto sat with his legs crossed, completely at ease.

"The rain's so nice!" the captain cried, throwing his arms up and falling onto his back. "It's got a relaxing sound, doesn't it?!"

Washio held back Konoha as the blonde began to roll up his sleeves. _Stop taking it so easy you dumb-_

"I agree!" Komi said, rolling onto his stomach and leaning his chin atop his arms. "Makes me want mochi and hot chocolate."

Akaashi hummed at the thought. _Mochi and hot chocolate. Masumi-san is an expert at making both of those._

Yukie clapped her hands and gave her whistle a blow. "Yosh~ break's over~ Don't try to take it easy just because our coaches are gone!"

"Yes..."

As the lot of them pulled themselves onto their feet, Akaashi's heart and gut suddenly began to stutter. The male paused, blinking in confusion as he clutched his shirt, the sudden palpitations shedding light and grown on the anxious seeds within him. Before he could question it, however, the gym doors slammed open. Some figure, sopping wet and panting heavily, collapsed onto the wooden floors. Akaashi's eyes widened.

"Isao?" he uttered, before quickly rushing to his younger brother's side. He quickly looked to Yukie and requested a towel, before turning back to his younger brother as he began coughing. As Akaashi patted the boy's back, Konoha blinked slowly.

"This is familiar," the blonde murmured, drawing attention from his fellow starters. Bokuto, who had met Akaashi's younger siblings more than a few times, tilted his head in confusion. Their attention returned to the Akaashi siblings as the elder draped a towel over the younger.

"What's wrong?" Akaashi asked gently, drying the boy as best as he could. "What are you doing, running through the rain? You'll get si-"

"I- I lo-..."

"Shh, take your-"

The junior high kid suddenly grabbed his older brother's shirt and lifted his face quickly. Akaashi blinked wildly at the boy's wide eyes, as his pale green irises shook with an unfortunately nostalgic fear.

" _I lost Miwa_!"

The ocean in his eyes churned.

 _Eh?_

* * *

 **word counter:** 7,105

 **FIRST OF ALL** MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! I GIFT YOU WITH AN UPDATE.

 **Secondly** this isn't the last update; lemme touch up chapter 15, I'll post chapter 14 in a few hours, and you'll surely get chapter 15 before today ends! I'll write up a big author's note on the final update so look forward to it. I got some things to announce (not really but it's really nice sounding official).

 **Lastly** I hope you all have a super happy fun and loving and bright and amazing day because it's CHRISTMAS AND TODAY IS BEAUTIFUL! I hope everyone eats well and gets super nice presents and has a wonderful time and if you don't get any of that then just message me and we can talk while I write I'm so down for brightening anyone's day if I can and aRGH I'M SO HAPPY!

 _ **SEE YOU IN A FEW HOURS, I LOVE YOU ALL, YOU'RE ALL AMAZING, THANK YOU, AND MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!**_


	14. 14

**14 this feeling is**

 _He was what you called a delinquent. Messy blonde hair, some piercings with mismatching earrings, and an illegal pack of cigarettes. Konoha Akinori, at a mere 14 years of age, was more or less popular at the junior high of the Fukuroudani Academy. Smart when he needed to be, and athletic whenever he wanted, he was an all-rounder with a reputation for causing trouble._

 _So to think he would get involved with some weak first-year was a bit of a surprise._

 _The first-year, who was bullied just a little bit, blinked up at him quietly. The two of them were on the rooftop and staring at each other semi-awkwardly, where the first-year was sitting in the shadows of the entrance building and trying to eat his lunch in peace. Konoha, on the other hand, was simply out for a smoke._

 _The rooftop was a favorite considering it was, first of all, supposedly prohibited, and secondly because it had a view worth dying for. It looked over the small streets and roads that wove between the small neighborhood right between Fukuroudani's middle school and high school, and gave the briefest glimpses of the neighborhoods up and down the hill. Each neighborhood was small, tightly woven and closely knit to make way for thick collections of trees and greenery to lighten things up - things that were especially nice considering he lived deeper in Tokyo where the only green was money and maybe some other drugs. Regardless, the atmosphere that was birthed upon dull navy irises meeting his unsuspecting hazel tones was admittedly awkward._

 _"Say," Konoha said, pulling on a grin and tilting his head, "you're the one they call a mama's boy, right?"_

 _The black-haired first-year blinked back slowly. He then placed the lid of his bento on top and wiped his chopstick clean. He then stood and walked calmly to the second-year. Konoha blinked as the first-year held out his bento and chopsticks out to him._

 _"Um..."_

 _"Regardless of my answer," the first-year said, his eyes resting solemnly on his bruised shoes, "you'll still push me against the wall and take my lunch, yes? Please save the both of us the trouble, and just take the food."_

 _And the first-year gave the bento box a small wave. Konoha blinked rapidly, and somehow, his stomach lurched. He was starving, sure, but the idea of taking food from someone beaten was degrading to himself. Konoha tutted and turned on his heel, huffing and making his way to the rooftop's protective railing._

 _"Don't need it!" the blonde yelled stubbornly, removing his pack of cigarettes from his pocket and pulling one out. "Like I could take food from someone who's starving."_

 _The black-haired boy blinked. His gaze then softened and he nodded, returning to his spot in the darkness and resuming his lunch. Konoha puffed out a thick cloud of smoke and tapped the butt of his cigarette against the railing, before looking over his shoulder curiously. The first-year was just finishing his lunch and praying, it seemed, as if he was thanking whatever god there was._

 _"Hey first-year!" Konoha called, turning and leaning on his elbows. The first-year looked up. "What's your name? I don't really like that mama boy shit."_

 _Something gleamed in those dull, navy irises, and the boy nearly smiled._

* * *

This was the rundown of the situation: Isao, having decided to take up the role of vice-captain of his basketball club starting summer break, took just a little bit longer in departing from school. He determined that before accepting the responsibility, he would drop in by the club and assure everyone that he would definitely be back after he brought his little sister home – just so his fellow teammates could see he was being serious. Today, he was delayed in leaving the gym simply because his teammates were finally getting accustomed to him being… genuinely friendly, more or less.

By the time he managed to leave his school and jog on over to Miwa's elementary school, it was just fifteen minutes passed three-thirty – three-thirty which was the normal time classes ended. Upon arrival, he found that his little sister was not waiting at the entrance as usual, and after flagging down a familiar teacher and asking them where the girl was, Isao learned that little Miwa had left on her own accord.

Now, it was four-thirty. Akaashi and his fellow starters stood gathered at Powder's entrance clad in their club jerseys, their hoodies drawn up to protect them from the chilly downpour. Isao was resting at their gym with a collection of towels warming his frigid body, as he'd been searching by himself for nearly thirty straight minutes. Masumi, who immediately closed down Powder for the day upon hearing the news, bowed to his employees as they took off into the rain.

"I sent them to look around Miwa-chan's elementary school," the manager said as his copper-irises fell upon an expectant Akaashi. "Keiji-kun, what will you and your group do?"

Konoha stepped up before the setter could say anything. "We're splitting up. Bokuto, Saru, and Komiyan will go look around Akaashi's neighborhood, and the rest of us will look around here. Miwa-chan couldn't have gotten far, right?"

Akaashi frowned, stroking his chin. "But she might have. She likely tried to make it home by herself and got lost in the rain. I can't tell how far she would have wandered."

"Well," Bokuto chirped, pulling on his hood and zipping his jersey all the way up. "The three of us will get going. Your neighborhood isn't big, so we should be able to comb through it quickly."

Akaashi nodded. "Yes, thank you. Please be careful in the rain."

"You got it!"

"Yosh! Time to find Akaashi's little sis!"

Sarukui let those two go ahead first as he looked to the rest of the team. "Keep us updated via texts."

Konoha slapped his shoulder and pushed him up the hill. "Get going, monkey!"

As those three disappeared within the heavy mist of the rain, Washio looked to Onaga. "Onaga, go back to our school and wait at the gates. Miwa-san might walk by there."

The first-year perked up and frowned slightly, almost feeling as though he wasn't strong enough for the mission. Before he could verbally resist, however, Konoha stepped up once again and patted his back.

"It's safer there for a young'un like you, so let your senpai handle this, alright?" Konoha said, grinning crookedly. "You're always so wobbly in practice so just take this time to chill. We've got this."

Onaga nodded, not sure whether he was insulted or comforted by the blonde's words. "Y-yes. Then, I'll get going as well."

Akaashi patted his back. "Thank you. Be careful out there."

"Y-yes. Same to you three."

With only Akaashi, Konoha, and Washio left, Masumi crossed his arms and looked to the setter expectantly. "So what about you three?"

"I say we comb through the streets going up and down the hill," Konoha pitched. "There's no way Miwa-chan would try to get to Fukuroudani Academy, right? Surely she just tried to get to Powder. Maybe she got lost in the maze of the hill."

"I was thinking that," Akaashi acknowledged. "But if she tried to get here by herself, then we would have ran into her by now. She knows this path well, at least, so maybe the rain confused her and she's somewhere else on the hill."

"There's a neighborhood all the way down the street, right across from Fukurou Academy," Masumi said, tapping his cheek thoughtfully. "If you walk up the hill and take a right at the top, then you'll be on the way to Miwa-chan's school. Perhaps she wandered into that neighborhood by accident?"

"That's the biggest neighborhood on this hill, if I'm not mistaken," Washio murmured.

Hearing that, Akaashi sighed softly. "Yes, it is. But it's highly likely that that's what happened to her. She's not the best with directions." Heaving another sigh, Akaashi looked to his remaining starters. "Let's comb through the alleys and streets around Powder, then re-group and head to that neighborhood. Hopefully by the time we clear this hill, we'll have either found Miwa, or Bokuto-san and his group will be finished with my neighborhood and we can all tackle the big neighborhood."

"Got it!"

"Understood."

Masumi frowned worriedly as the three of them split up at that very moment, with Akaashi heading up the hill, Washio heading down, and Konoha moving to snake through the closest alleys. He tutted and pulled his phone out to dial a familiar number quickly, and upon reaching the voicemail of his stupid niece, he groaned and shoved his phone back into his pocket.

 _Hurry and wake up, my stupid niece!_

* * *

Tsubasa yawned as she stretched her body out beneath the thick futon cover. Her phone had been buzzing like crazy for the past ten minutes, and with Tsubasa being the heavy sleeper she was, the alerts were just beginning to wake her. She grumbled as she poked her head out from beneath the dark warmth to prop her chin up on the pillow. Her eyes fell upon her viciously vibrating phone, which sat above the pillow on the floor. Unplugging it from the phone charger, she clicked it on and scrolled all the to the bottom to check the beginning of her notifications.

 ** _Tetsurou [5/16 11:31 AM]:_** _Hey Bokuto told me you're sick at home. I'm on lunch break soooooo_

 ** _Tetsurou [5/16 11:31 AM]:_** _Ring ring bitch_

 ** _2 missed calls from Tetsurou._**

 ** _Tetsurou [5/16 11:38 AM]:_** _You alright? You're sleeping, aren't you? I know you're a heavy sleeper but cmon_

 ** _Tetsurou [5/16 11:40 AM]:_** _I'm worrying over here. Text me back asap bitch_

 _ **Kenma [5/16 11:42 AM]:** kuro just came to my classroom panicking hurry up nd wake up u dumbass _

_**Kenma [5/16 11:45 AM]:** also feel better_

Ah. Tsubasa smiled contritely as she apologized quickly in her mind, before she continued scrolling up to check the other, more recent notifications. She blinked upon finding more than enough messages from her uncle.

 ** _4 missed calls from Uncle Sumi._**

 _ **Uncle Sumi [5/16 4:42 PM]:** We have an emergency and I need you first of all to wake up, and secondly don't panic._

 _ **Uncle Sumi [5/16 4:43 PM]:** Miwa-chan is missing._

...ah. The phone slipped from her hands. All concern and thought regarding Kuroo and Kenma vanished from her mind as she rushed to her feet, first moving to check how heavy the rain was and secondly moving to throw herself into her closet. Taking into consideration the heavy downfall of the rain outside her window, Tsubasa pulled on a thick navy sweater and grey leggings, before reaching further into the closet and pulling out a plastic umbrella. She then grabbed a tan trench coat (which was a gift from her uncle) and threw it over her shoulder, before retrieving her phone and heading outside. Kou, who was with her every step of the way, sat obediently at the door as his master addressed him.

"It's just like those snowstorms in Russia, Kou," the girl said as she tied her sneakers tightly. She then lifted her hands to his neck and adjusted his white collar. "Go to Uncle and get some help, then find me, alright?"

The dog barked in affirmation. Standing, Tsubasa adjusted the coat over her shoulder before pulling the door open and letting her dog darted down the stairs. She breathed slowly and closed her door, locking it and standing outside. She crossed her arms over the protecting railing and hummed, her light grey eyes gleaming in the downpour. The girl watched as her dog darted up the street and to the main road that led to Powder and Fukuroudani Academy.

 _Ah, geez. It's already 5 o' clock. If I were a little girl, where would I possibly run off to at this time?_

She then blinked. The faintest blur of blue came running down the street, passing her apartments quickly and disappearing down that road.

 _Ah._

* * *

"Masumi-san!"

The brown-haired man looked up. He immediately sighed in relief upon seeing his three employees come running down the hill, all of them clad in black raincoats and positively drenched. Masumi reached out a pair of anxious hands, and nervously, he fidgeted on the spot.

"Well? How was your search?"

The employee in the middle, being a tall man with black hair, looked to his other employees quietly. He then lifted the flap of his raincoat and pulled out what seemed to be a book bag. It was some dark blue with white polka dots, and aside from the water that had it sopping wet, it was completely empty. Masumi's eyes widened.

"We've notified the school and looked all over that area," the man said, handing his boss the familiar book bag. "And down the road beside the big neighborhood, we found a trail of papers and later this bag. But unfortunately, we did not find Miwa-san."

Masumi gulped as he inspected the bruised bag. "This is Miwa-chan's... Wait." He then quirked an eyebrow, looking up in confusion. "You found this around that neighborhood? Keiji-kun and his friends just went there- they even combed through the hill. How did they not come across this?"

The employee on the right of the middle man, being a young woman with dark brown hair, frowned. "We found it in higher towards the top of the hill. The papers had already been soaked and destroyed by the rain, so it was probably hard for them to see."

The man was silent. Copper irises fell back down to the small bag to observe it. The faintest feelings of panic began to bubble in his gut.

"In an alleyway...?" Masumi murmured, turning on his heel to pace back and forth in thought. "An _alleyway_?" _Surely there aren't any creepy people out right now. This area is generally safe._

He strides stopped. Masumi blinked down at the book bag. Behind him, his employees frowned in worry for their boss.

"Masumi-san?"

"Hey," the man said, turning slowly to them. "You three didn't happen to see a keychain on the way, did you? It's a small, blue dreamcatcher with white feathers."

The three employees looked amongst each other in confusion, before returning their gazes back to their boss and shaking their heads. Masumi blinked at them rapidly. Abruptly, he cried out in realization. With lightning-like speed, he pulled his phone out and immediately punched in a few numbers. "I know what-"

"Wan wan!"

Ah. The man looked over his shoulder just in time to find a familiar husky barreling towards him. "Ah- Kou!" Masumi shoved the book bag into the dog's face. "Here, sniff this and go find Miwa-chan!"

Kou rubbed his nose all over the bag and even rummaged through the empty pockets, before barking once more and taking off down the street. Almost obnoxiously, the dog was howling as Masumi resumed dialing Akaashi's number.

* * *

Akaashi panted lightly as he came to a careful stop. It had been nearly twenty minutes since the starters had broken up to search the large neighborhood for his younger sister, and so far, the team's search was for naught. Having made contact with everyone just five minutes ago via text, he stood patiently in one fo the playgrounds of the neighborhood. Just then, Washio and Konoha jogged into sight, carefully making their way over the sopping wet mulch of the playground and stopping beneath the collection of trees he'd taken cover under.

"Did you spot anything on the way here?" Akaashi asked immediately, doing his best to suppress the shivers from the cold. Both Konoha and Washio shook their head, with the blonde sighing and crossing his arms.

"I don't think she's here," Konoha said, frowning. "Bokuto and the others are deeper in this neighborhood, but he said they haven't seen anything. Do you really think Miwa-chan would have strayed this deep?"

Akaashi frowned as well, pocketing his hands and clenching his fists. "If she's not in my neighborhood or by our school, then it's possible. Let's rest and wait for Bokuto-san and the rest to get here, then we can head back to Powder and see if Masumi-san found anything."

The two nodded. As Washio stepped off to the side to text the others, Konoha approached Akaashi as the male rubbed his eyelids tiredly. The blonde, finding the sight all too familiar, grinned simply and slapped the boy's back.

"Cheer up, _nii-chan_!" Konoha said, leaning his elbow atop Akaashi's shoulder. "She's fine. I bet she's just playing in the rain somewhere."

Akaashi huffed softly, dropping his hands back to his pockets. "She'll get pneumonia. That's hardly fine."

Before the blonde could reply, Akaashi's phone vibrated suddenly. The boy immediately took the call as soon as he read the caller ID.

"Masumi-san? Any news-"

 _"Keiji-kun! Keiji-kun! I know what happened!"_

Both Akaashi and Konoha, the blonde who was listening with his ear pressed against the outside of Akaashi's phone, blinked dumbly.

"What happened?"

 _"Miwa-chan must have chased after her keychain! My employees found her backpack but the chain was missing. Judging from where they found it, it must have rolled down the street by that big neighborhood."_

Akaashi blinked rapidly as the image of the little girl's keychain bounced into his mind. It was made by their mother while she was pregnant with Miwa, and as such, was gifted to the little girl when she was born. His eyes widened as the feelings of anxiety and worry began to settle. "I see. If it was down that street... then she must be around Tsubasa-san's apartments."

 _"That's right! Tsubasa's out there right now; I know because Kou just stopped by. He's sniffing Miwa-chan out right now, so-"_

"Wan!"

The three high schoolers looked up as a red husky with mismatching eyes suddenly came galloping into their view. The dog, whose dense fur was clinging to his lean frame, gave an obnoxious howl and ran a quick circle around Akaashi, before turning and biting his jacket. With a firm tug, Kou turned and darted out of the playground. Akaashi took after the husky with his breath caught in his throat, brushing by Komi as he, Bokuto, and Sarukui just began to enter the playground.

"Ah- wait!" Konoha cried as he caught the device midair. Somehow, he laughed and grinned crookedly at the sight of Akaashi's figure disappearing into the distance, and he crossed his arms as Washio stood beside him. "Honestly, what a hopeless guy."

The corners of Washio's lips tilted upwards just a bit, and crossing his arms as well, he nodded silently. Bokuto released a tired breath as his group joined Konoha and Washio, and above them, the rain slowly began to lighten as the day's first ray of sunshine broke through the grey clouds.

* * *

 _I've been thinking about it since last night. Or rather, I began thinking of it seriously after Konoha-san snapped._

The husky leading the way began howling abruptly, and as if it were magic, the clouds slowly began to clear to make way for the sun. Akaashi followed the red husky intently, keeping up easily but somehow still struggling to do so. The neighborhood walls and fences blurred inexplicably around them, and as if the world at current didn't exist, the boy found himself running in his lonesome amidst a blue landscape.

 _"What was that about Tsubasa-chan?"_

 _It's everything about her._

 _Everything is about her._

It was an existence only the two of them knew. Between them, even with the distance or the lack thereof, aquatic life breezed all around him with constellations dotting their galaxy-colored bodies. Whatever feelings of doubt he possessed were sprouting from chambers of his once-heavy heart, leaving him in the forms of carefree starfishes and wishful comets. What was once doubted was accepted, and such acceptance had the impossible and invisible colors around him brightening immensely to light the way to the answer he had been seeking.

 _Even as I panic, looking for my younger sister and worrying for the health of my entire family, she is still in my mind. She is always there. She's never left my thoughts._

His feet skidded around a corner in an attempt to keep up with the red husky. Warm exploded from his limbs and gradually began to intensify, almost as if telling him that he was getting closer.

 _She was out sick today. She was resting. Why the hell is she outside right now? Why is she always there? Why is it her?_

A sharp right down a T-like road had him tripping, stumbling desperately with his lips pursing stupidly. His oceanic irises gleamed for their world beyond reality.

 _I looked forward to it. I looked forward to seeing her today, healthy and strong. I looked forward to telling her about how I resolved everything with my brother. I was excited to tell her those things._

 _And yet my little sister is missing, and she's there with her._

Akaashi came skidding to a stop as he prepared to turn another corner. His eyes widened and his irises, so brilliantly and extraordinarily blue, pushed the remaining clouds out of the way of the sun.

 _Why?_

There she stood as the purest personification of a silver lining. Her moonlight hair was free of its typical confines and her eyes - those damnable eyes from which the entire universe was birthed - were free of the usual glasses. The moons in her irises blinked upon meeting the ocean his own eyes held.

 _Why are you always there?_

Tsubasa blinked rapidly, freezing on the spot as she was about to turn the corner. Little Miwa was asleep in her arms and nestled comfortably against her chest, all wrapped up in the trench coat. A plastic, see-through umbrella rested on Tsubasa's shoulder and against her hair, while both her arms and hands supported the little girl. Beside her, Kou panted and sat simply. Again, Tsubasa blinked.

And then, she smiled.

 _What an obvious answer. No wonder Konoha-san has been so mad. It's obvious to everyone but us, isn't it?_

"Keiji!" the girl exclaimed, hugging the little girl even tighter to her chest. "Uwah! I'm so happy to see you! Don't worry; Miwa is just fine! She's just a bit tired from running so much, you know? She was looking for her keychain! I have it in my pocket, but it's a little banged up. I can fix it though!"

He released the softest of breaths and gently bowed his head. His cheeks became nothing short of lovely blazes that spoke of the most innocent flickers.

 _Well, I suppose the only one it's not obvious to is now just you, Tsubasa._

 _I know now. The name of this feeling._

And weak and vulnerable to everything the girl was, Akaashi slowly sank down to a crouch, resting his elbows atop his knees and bringing one hand up to hold his face. Surprised by the action, Tsubasa squirmed on the spot and frowned down at him worriedly.

"K-Keiji? O-oi, what's wrong? D-did you run too much? Are you tired? My apartment is nearby, so we can rest there if you'd like."

 _It's love._

"Were you that worried? I-it's okay now! Miwa's perfectly fine!"

 _I'm in love._

Akaashi freed another delicate breath as he dragged his hand down his face, hiding the slight smile that was slowly beginning to grow larger. The blush on his face stretched from his cheeks to his ears, then down his neck and to his heart to keep it beating with beautiful life. He clutched his jersey and stood slowly.

"You're cruel, Tsubasa-san."

The girl blinked. Tsubasa tilted her head innocently as Akaashi took a single step forward to close the small distance between them, and practically throwing himself, he engulfed both girls in his arms. Tsubasa squeaked in surprise as the male leaned his weight onto her, his arms securely snaked around her shoulders and her waist. The umbrella tipped off of the girl's shoulder as she tried to return the embrace.

"I'm glad Miwa is alright; I'm sure that's because of you. But..." he murmured, his voice coming out softly and muffled due to the thickness of her sweater. "I was worried about you as well." And his embrace tightened just a bit. Tsubasa's eyes widened as she settled her hand atop his shoulder. "Who do you think you are, putting up a wall like that? That's not fair. You don't get to do that after letting me in. That hurt. And now, here you are, saving my little sister and going out of your way for her. How am I supposed to feel with you?"

Tsubasa's grey irises, which were quickly brightening to a lighter shade, glossed over with apologetic, yet happy tears. "I-I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking straight..."

And the boy chuckled for a second, hugging her even tighter, before slowly pulling back. With his hands resting atop her small shoulders, he pressed his forehead against her messy and damp bangs, smiling slightly.

 _I'm in love with her._

"I was worried," he murmured, reaching his hands up to wipe at the girl's tears. She sniffed loudly and clutched Miwa tighter.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"I was scared as well."

"I-I'm really sorry!"

"But even more than that," he continued, his cold hand dropping down to cradle her face. A questioning and curious glint shone brightly in her eyes, and his grin broadened just a bit. "I wanted to see you." _But all of those things trace back to one thing. One thought. One fact._

 _I'm in love with you._

Tsubasa sniffed once more, but smiled brightly nonetheless. "Well now I'm here!"

Akaashi nodded and returned to embracing the girl, cherishing the warmth she radiated. "Yeah. I'm glad."

Just then, the little girl cradled to Tsubasa's chest stirred between them. With a groggy yawn and puffy eyes, Miwa grumbled from the sound of their conversation and slowly turned to look over her shoulder. As soon as her deep blue eyes fell upon her older brother, however, tears immediately began to cascade down her face. Akaashi chuckled softly as the little girl reached for him, and seeing as how Miwa kept her short legs wrapped around Tsubasa's waist, the male simply hugged the both of them once more. Finding his chin once again resting against the back of Tsubasa's shoulder, he sighed softly and found himself at peace, despite the little girl sobbing and apologizing profusely.

Tsubasa, also finding warmth and peace despite the situation, somehow felt a different warmth spark within her chest.

 _"I was worried. I was scared as well. But even more than that..."_

Confused, but not at all alarmed by the new type of warmth, she simply hugged the male back.

 _"I wanted to see you."_

Her heart, for reasons currently unknown, slowly began to pick up with its rhythmic heartbeats.

 _It's warm._

* * *

Bokuto perked up at the sound of laughter. With him and the rest of the starters standing in wait at the gates of Fukuroudani alongside Isao and Masumi, they all looked down the road, where their eyes gleamed and brightened at the heartwarming sight before them.

It was of their vice-captain and their second-year manager, walking with the little kid sister hopping between them. The little girl was still clad in Tsubasa's trench coat, and so, the long sleeves balled up round her elbows while it dragged behind her for a good feet or two. Like a mother and father would do to their own child, they both held Miwa's hands in theirs, and with a count of three, they lifted her into the air and swung her gently before setting her carefully back onto the ground, only to count off once more and repeat. The sun's saturated rays easily broke through the collection of light grey clouds that were still around them and had the three glowing angelically, and had it not been for their eyes meeting with the volleyball players and the other worried ones, the scene might have gone uninterrupted.

"We're back!" Tsubasa called, waving with her other hand. "Yahoo, everyone!"

Akaashi smiled simply and nodded at them, just as his younger brother came barreling down the street to pick up their little sister and twirl her about. Positively sobbing and apologizing like a madman, the young boy turned to hug Tsubasa with Miwa caught between them, prompting the girl to laugh and pat his head comfortingly. Akaashi stood off to the side, smiling warmly with lidded eyes at the endearing scene, before he looked up as Bokuto and the others approached them. Akaashi bowed deep at the waist, still smiling softly.

"Thank you for your hard work," the male said, before standing and meeting their eyes. His teammates blinked rapidly and flushed slightly at the unusually gentle smile on his face. "I apologize for worrying you all."

The lot of them blinked dumbly at the boy, before stuttering and waving their hands dismissively. After Akaashi shared a loving embrace with his two younger siblings, Boktuo dismissed him and Tsubasa. The captain was surprisingly rational and mature with the situation - or at least, he was as mature as he could get. He demanded that Tsubasa and the Akaashi siblings head home to rest, simply because they all looked ragged in the sunlight. Agreeing with the simple sentiment, Masumi further demanded that the four of them all head to Powder for a hot meal, and after Akaashi changed out of his gym clothes and retrieved his bags, they set off for the cafe.

Now, seated beneath the warm lighting of Powder's cafe, Both Akaashi and Isao stared intensely at the little sister, who stared down at the steaming plate of curry in front of her with pursed lips.

"Miwa," Akaashi said sternly, frowning. "We need to understand why you left like that today."

"That's right! I nearly had a heart attack today!" Isao cried, shoving a spoonful of rice into his mouth. "Wah di' 'u lee li' dat to'ay?!"

"Isao, don't talk while you're eating."

"Hmph!"

The girl whimpered and picked up her spoon, pushing around the rice in the curry sauce and then rearranging the carrots and potatoes. Seeing that, Akaashi flicked the side of Isao's head.

"See?" the elder hissed. "This is why you don't yell at children."

"'m ve'y emo'uh'nal ri' now!"

Tsubasa, who was finishing her second plate of curry with a glass of water, hummed as she watched the siblings from the bar counter. Masumi stood behind the counter shining glasses lackadaisically, and after slamming one glass down in front of the white-haired girl, he nodded towards the siblings viciously. Tsubasa, with her long hair freely flowing and her irises especially shiny without her glasses, pouted at him.

"I know, I know, sheesh..." Jumping off the red barstool and making her way to their table, which was by the window and close to the entrance, Tsubasa dug around in the pocket of her sweater.

Akaashi, after etching every little detail of the girl's natural appearance into his memory, nodded at her in acknowledgement. She crouched beside Miwa then, smiling at the girl and offering the dented dreamcatcher.

"I believe this is yours."

Ah. Miwa lit up instantly and wrapped her small hands around the silver keychain. The thin blue string that was wrapped around the ring of the dreamcatcher was severely damp and torn here and there, allowing for the silver underneath to show through. Even more than that, the pure white feathers that hung from it were sopping wet as well, with their purity stained by mud and muck. Miwa frowned sadly at the thing, her eyes slowly beginning to tear up.

"It was a gift from our mother," Akaashi said, catching Tsubasa's attention as she went to pat the little girl's hair sympathetically. "She made it while she was pregnant with Miwa. Our mother had a thing for small knickknacks like that."

Tsubasa smiled gently and looked down to the little girl, who was now sniffling pathetically while trying to mend the torn threads. "Is that so? We should get it fixed immediately then! But you know, Miwa-chan..." Tsubasa kneeled and looked up at the little girl, lifting one hand to hold her chubby face while the other cradled her small hands. "You could have gotten seriously hurt today. Keiji and everyone else worked so hard to find you. Let's talk this over and make sure to take care of each other, alright?"

Miwa sniffled, but nodded slowly anyway. Facing forward in her seat, she hesitantly looked up to her older brothers, both of them watching her attentively. She dropped her large blue irises back down to her food.

"B-because Isa-nii wants to be vice-captain..."

The two males blinked.

"What?"

Miwa pouted, almost frustrated. She fiddled with the dreamcatcher in her lap. "Isa-nii and Kei-nii keep arguing... A-and Isa-nii said he wanted to be vice-captain, but then he said he was worried about me... So I though that- if I walked home by myself, you wouldn't worry..."

...ah. Akaashi blinked as Isao's spoon clattered to the floor.

"Y-you heard that?" Isao muttered to himself, only for Akaashi to flick his head once more.

"See? What did I say? I told you she'd hear."

"N-nii-chan, you can be petty another time!" Isao pulled at his hair as his eye twitched. "M-Miwa, didn't you hear the rest of that conversation?! I-I already decided to take up the role! That's why I've been later in coming to walk you home; I've been visiting my teammates before heading out just to get friendly with them! Didn't I tell you? Why did you think I've been late recently?"

"..." And then tears were cascading from her face. "I-I thought you- you saw me as a burden..."

"What?!" And then Isao was on his knees and bowing profusely. "I'm sorry! I'm so _rry sorry sorry_!"

Tsubasa chuckled as she stood, combing a hand through Miwa's blue locks. Her gaze then met with Akaashi's, and the two smiled at each other crookedly. When Akaashi pulled his guilty younger brother back into his seat and pestered him to finish his dinner, Tsubasa stood behind Miwa's chair and crossed her arms on top.

"You know, if you're worried about Miwa-chan about being lonely, then why not just send her over here after school?" Tsubasa suggested casually. "She can hang out with me until practice ends for you two."

Isao brightened immediately and slammed an excited fist on the table. "That's a good idea! That way, she won't be all alone at home. How about it, nii-chan?"

Akaashi blinked. His cheeks flushed slightly, he looked to the girl once more. "Are you sure? You've already done so much for us, Tsubasa-san. I don't want to trouble you."

And the girl frowned in confusion, her eyebrows scrunching up cutely. "When have you ever troubled me?"

"...well... You did just find my little sister after skipping class to rest."

"Well of course!" Tsubasa looked down to the little girl, who in response turned her big blue eyes upwards. Miwa giggled with a mouthful of curry as Tsubasa poked her squishy cheek playfully, smiling softly. "I love, love, _love_ ~ Miwa-chan! She's not a trouble at all. I'm more surprised that she hasn't _been_ coming to Powder every day after school. Surely she's lonely at home?"

The brothers blinked at each other, wondering to themselves if they truly thought about the situation. Unbeknowst to Tsubasa, the Akaashi siblings had been acquainted with her uncle for a modest four years. Hakurei Masumi had, more or less, become more of a family member than any of their real blood relatives. The man used to babysit Miwa and Isao to allow Akaashi to have some sort of life in junior high, and his full-time babysitting had stopped first when Isao entered junior high, and ended completely when Miwa began elementary school just this year. The idea was that Miwa would join some club at her elementary school so that she wouldn't be waiting all alone at home for her older brothers to return from their own clubs, but now that they thought of it...

"Miwa, you haven't joined a club at your school, have you?" Akaashi prompted, sitting up a bit straight. The girl shook her head. Both Akaashi and Isao stiffened.

 _We didn't even think about that part._

"Do you... want to?" Isao then asked, tilting his head. The girl pursed her lips and shook her head rapidly, reaching behind her to tug on Tsubasa's arm.

"I wanna be in nee-chan's club," said the little girl, her voice small but sturdy enough to show the brother's how serious she was. The two males blinked.

Before Akaashi could say anything, Isao stood from his seat with tears gushing from his eyes. He wore some stupidly dopey grin as he clutched his spoon tightly within his palm, his fist shaking dramatically. "T-that's good, Miwa! Go for it! Go for Powder!"

Akaashi's eye twitched. He looked to the boy quickly. "We should discuss this more thoroughly-"

"Screw thoroughness! We've been trying to do that for years but look - we've obviously missed something important! All that matters is what Miwa wants, right, Tsubasa-nee-chan?!"

The girl stiffened on the spot. "Eh? Ah- I mean- in this situation, I think so." Tsubasa smiled softly as she began playing with Miwa's short blue locks. "If Miwa-chan is finally getting started in elementary school, then it's important for her to learn how to socialize. But since she doesn't want to be in a club, then I think a place like Powder is a good supplement. I can help her finish her homework, teach her things, and she can get to know the regulars here - it's a win-win-win! And when she gets more comfortable doing these things and talking with people, then surely socializing in class will be no problem, right?"

Akaashi blinked slowly. "That... makes sense, I suppose. But-"

Ah. Hearing that, Isao and Tsubasa stood side-by-side to flash the male radiant smiles and dazzling eyes, all while Miwa sat in the middle with her own set of glittery puppy-eyes. Akaashi sweat-dropped, gulping slightly and averting his gaze.

"If Masumi-san is fine with it, and Miwa wants to do it, then I have no objections."

As if on cue, Masumi appeared at their table to replenish their servings of rice and pour them cups of hot cocoa. "It's completely fine~ In the past, Miwa-chan would just stay upstairs. If she'll be following Tsubasa around down here, then it's like an upgrade! Just make sure to tell your dad and we can start this next week."

...ah. And then those three were throwing confetti around the little girl, who sipped at her hot chocolate almost victoriously. Akaashi deadpanned at the lot of them, but ultimately, his eyes softened and he smiled. With his chin resting in his palm, he made sure to burn every detail of the scene before him into his memory, taking care to especially remember the feelings of warmth and love he realized that day.

Outside, the sun slowly and contently began to sink before the earth, allowing the moon to rise and share its light.

* * *

It was Satuday morning. A collection of teens (supervised, of course, by their experienced coaches in the background) clad in red jerseys stood before the gates of Fukuroudani Academy. Many of them grinned to each other excitedly, happy to finally be back and to face their good rivals once more. Probably the only ones that weren't smiling were Kenma and Kuroo, both of which knew that there was a little more behind those gates.

Sighing, Kuroo took the first step into those boundaries.

"Let's kick some owl ass today, yeah?"

And his teammates cheered, some of them jumping ahead energetically.

"Osu!"

* * *

 **word count:** 6,933

 **(whispers: Merry Christmas it's not over yet guys)**


	15. 15

**15 fucking triangles goddammit why couldn't we just be a single line from point a to point b**

 _"Eh? You two already know each other?!"_

 _Ah. Little 6-year-old Tsubasa nodded, turning to her absolute best friend while Tetsurou stood off to the side awkwardly. He kept his flushed face averted from the white-haired girl._

 _"Yeah. I didn't tell you? He's the one who broke Mr. Gnome."_

 _…ah. Immediately, Tetsurou jerked on the spot and flailed his hands. "It- it was an accident, I swear!"_

 _Koutarou huffed simply, crossing his arms. "Well whatever! If Tsubasa likes you, then I like you." And so, the grey-haired boy leaned closer to the other and grinned in his face. "So what's your name?"_

 _"…we're classmates, you know."_

 _"I-I know! But everyone calls each other by their last name! It's weird!"_

 _Hearing that, Tsubasa blinked rapidly and clung to her best friend. "Heh? Do they really?"_

 _"Yeah! It's super gross."_

 _"Heh…"_

 _Tetsurou quirked a brow at the two of them, before he deadpanned. "It's… It's Tetsurou. My name. First name."_

 _Koutarou blinked. Abruptly, his face went alight as his amber irises gleamed excitedly. "Your name sounds like mine!"_

 _"Huh- what?"_

 _"'Cause my name's Koutarou! We've both got the '-rou'!" Ah. Of course. Almost haughtily, the grey-haired boy pointed an energetic finger in the other boy's face, his grin growing larger with each passing second. "So from today onward, you'll be known as Tetsu!" He retracted his hand to jerk his thumb against his own chest. "And you can call me Kouta! Any other names are unallowed between the two of us! If you ever call me by my last name, that means we're not friends anymore!"_

 _Both Tsubasa and Tetsurou blinked at him. Smiling innocently, the girl tapped her chin. "I don't think 'unallowed' is a word, Koutarou."_

 _"The word you're looking for is 'unacceptable,' you dope."_

 _"H-hey! You still got what I was saying!"_

 _And seeing Tsubasa continue to prod the boy with her innocent smile, Tetsurou watched them silently. He then snickered, before stepping closer to them and entering their bubble._

 _"You're an idiot, Kouta."_

* * *

"Hey hey hey, Kuroo!"

Ah. Nekoma's volleyball club paused in their steps as a familiar voice boomed behind them. Looking over his shoulder, Kuroo grinned faintly at the opposing captain, who was running up the hill and waving his hands energetically. Coach Nekomata and Coach Naoi led the team into Fukuroudani's territory, letting Kuroo and a reluctant Kenma stay back. Holding the pudding-headed setter by his hood, Kuroo snickered.

" _Gross_. Who's this dope yellin' so early in the morning?"

"Geh! Rude! Get outta my school!"

…ah. And the two young men scrunched up their noses and pursed their lips, before ultimately breaking out into familiar bouts of laughter and curses. Bokuto jumped between the two cats and slung his arms around their necks, bringing the three of them into a nostalgic group hug. Kenma grunted and struggled against the male's suffocating biceps, but ultimately gave up when Bokuto simply squeezed him harder.

"Ah, it's been a while," Kuroo sighed, looking to Bokuto. "Ready to lose?"

Bokuto laughed, smirking back easily. "As if! We had a really eventful Golden Week, you know. Beating Ushiwaka more than a few times taught us a lot."

Kuro hummed. "Heh~ Well, we'll see on the court. Where's Tsubasa?"

"She's working a half-day today, so she'll be here around lunch. But let's hurry up and go in! Shirofuku's there making breakfast!"

"Yes, yes~"

"Stop pulling on me, Kou."

"At least greet me before you chastise me!"

Hearing those two go back and forth, Kuroo chuckled and pocketed his hands. It was so warm- and it hadn't been warm in a while. This friendly, childish, familiar banter was one of the few things he'd missed from his past, and all he wanted now was to have their white-haired girl joining in on the playful arguing. At the thought of her, Kuroo's hazel irises dimmed slightly.

 _She's the worst._

* * *

 **Wednesday, May 16: the night after Miwa was found.**

It was almost eleven at night. Kuroo strode calmly to his room with a towel hanging from his neck. His black hair, damp from his bath and cool from his home's AC, fully covered his forehead for once in somewhat long, messy strands. He was clad simply in black sweats and a white wife beater to welcome the blessing of air conditioning, and he gave off the vague smell of apricots. It was a sweet but tangy scent, one that occupied his hair, body, and clothes.

(His mother was a sucker for fruit-scented _everything_ , but she was a sucker in a way where she focused on one fruity-smell per week.)

Closing his door quietly and throwing himself onto his bed with a heavy sigh, he blinked rapidly as a grunt sounded from under him. When he sat up and pushed his black blankets aside, the male blinked once more.

"Ow," Kenma muttered, sitting up as well to massage the low of his back.

"Sorry?" Kuroo stood and moved to sit on his desk chair instead. He did so in a way where his chest pressed against the chair's supportive cushion and his arms folded on top. "What're you doing here?"

"I forgot to do some homework due tomorrow and I don't know how to do it."

"Seriously?"

"It's biology."

"Give it here."

Ah. Kenma removed the folded packet from his hoodie pocket and handed it over silently. He then sat back on Kuroo's bed, his legs crossed like applesauce, and his cat-like eyes watching the male closely. He averted his gaze to Kuroo's phone, which sat beside him beneath a pillow.

"Haku called, by the way," Kenma said, unconsciously reaching into one of his pockets to pull out his PSP - only to squint and frown as he grasped nothing but air. Reaching into the other pocket, he retrieved his phone and found it better than nothing. He opened up some card game. "And then she texted you when you didn't answer. She said she's going to sleep early."

Kuroo, who had been watching him from the corner of his eye, tutted. He then rolled closer to the bed to fetch his phone, and clicking it on, he scrolled through the short conversation slowly.

 _ **[5/16 11:38 AM]:** You alright? You're sleeping, aren't you? I know you're a heavy sleeper but cmon_

 _ **[5/16 11:40 AM]:** I'm worrying over here. Text me back asap bitch_

 ** _tsubasa [5/16 10:36 PM]:_** _Ha lol it's really late. Don't worry, I'm fine. I was knocked out, sorry. I woke up around 4 and something really really really important came up, so I was occupied. I'm fine though! :D_

 _ **tsubasa [5/16 10:38 PM]:** But I'm going to school tomorrow and I'm really tired so I'm gonna sleep early! Don't wake me up (`^')_

 _ **tsubasa [5/16 10:39 PM]:** Nighty night Tetsurou! :D_

...ah. The male chucked his phone across the room, only for it to bounce off the bookshelf he had at the foot of his bed, shoot towards the wall behind him where his desk was, and ricochet right into the back of his head. With rosy cheeks and his eyes stinging with tears of defeat, the male clutched his head and cursed beneath his breath.

Kenma, having paused his game of Solitaire to record the entire spectacle, blinked slowly at the male. He pocketed his phone quietly. "What is it?"

"I hate her, that's what."

"Do you really?" Kenma pulled his knees up to his chest then, pushing his back against the wall. "Have you ever hated her?"

Beneath his cold black locks, Kuroo's hazel irises glinted longingly at the floor. "No. Never."

The pudding-head gazed at him silently for a full minute. He dropped his golden irises down to his feet, where he twiddled his toes together anxiously. "Are you ever... going to confess?"

The light in his hazel eyes was immediately diminished. Scooping his phone off the ground and turning in his chair to face his desk, he sent one last message to Tsubasa while replying to Kenma, "No. Never."

With that, he shut his phone off and pushed it to the side, focusing his attention on his best friend's unfinished homework. Aside from the occasional taps on Kenma's phone screen and the noisy scratches of Kuroo's pencil, all was silent.

 _ **[5/16 11:02 PM]:** Don't wake you? Pft_

 ** _[5/16 11:02 PM]:_** _I wouldn't be able to no matter how hard I tried_

 ** _[5/16 11:03 PM]:_** _Nighty night, Tsubasa_

* * *

 **Present time.**

"Yosh, let's get today started!" Coach Nekomata said, clapping his hands to catch the attention of the stretching volleyball players. "Naoi-kun received news from Yuuto-kun, and he and Coach Yamiji will be here after lunch. Seems until then, I'm in charge."

Ah. From nearby, Komi grinned crookedly. "If Coach Nekomata was gonna be in charge, we should've just gone to Nekoma..."

Konoha, who was seated beside him on the floor, huffed. "No way. We would have had to travel farther. It was hard enough getting up this morning to come here."

"Lazy ass."

Nekomata chuckled before he continued. "I believe Coach Yamiji would be upset if we held any practice matches, so let's mix up the teams and run some drills. But I'm guessing Bokuto-kun would still like to compete?"

Hearing that, Bokuto nodded eagerly from his spot. "That's right! I wanna kick Kuroo's ass!"

"Would _love_ to see you do that."

"Well you will!"

…ah. The old man laughed heartily as the two butted heads. "Well, there will be more than enough time for that. Let's have red and blue teams; whichever team takes the longest to complete the drills will clean up and assist our managers with making lunch and dinner. Deal?"

The volleyballs grinned at each other before nodding excitedly.

"Deal!"

* * *

Ten o' clock. Tsubasa perked up as the bell above the café's front door chimed melodically, revealing to the girl a young couple. Standing at attention and smiling smoothly, Tsubasa greeted them as per usual.

"Welcome to Powder! Table for two?"

The young man nodded. "Yes please."

The young woman beside him flashed a familiar smile at the white-haired girl. "Hard at work as always, Tsubasa-chan. Don't you want some free time to spend with your friends?"

"Ah, of course!" Tsubasa replied as she stuck two menus beneath her arm and stepped out from behind the marble counter. "Luckily my uncle understood that and granted me a half-day today. I'll be leaving at twelve to help out my school's volleyball club."

"Is that so? I'm glad to hear that," the woman said as she and her spouse sat at the table Tsubasa led them to. It was their typical spot in the corner. With a slab of black marble sticking out from the wall, the red-cushioned booths flanking it were more than welcoming to them. "We always see you working, so it's good to hear that you're getting out to socialize."

"Fukuroudani's volleyball club, right?" the man then prompted. "I heard their ace is a real ace! What's he like?"

Tsubasa hummed, tapping her cheek as she smirked. The thought of her best friend had her more eager to get out. "The ace, huh? Well, he's beefy like an ace should be. And he's just as flighty as an owl would be." Ah. And the young couple laughed at the teasing remark. Tsubasa set down their menus. "It's not busy yet, so you guys will get to have me serve you. Flag me down when you're ready to order."

"Got it. Thanks, Tsubasa-san."

"Of course."

And she bowed politely to excuse herself. Seeing no one else coming in, the girl decided she was make a few rounds around the dark café, checking up on the few patrons that were there that morning. Powder's café gave off a mysterious and sleek atmosphere even in daytime, with its dark hardwood flooring and velvety red walls, which were accented by stripes of a darker red and supported by more dark wood. Golden light streamed from the lightbulbs above to set alight all the matching black marble tabletops, and any and all chairs and booths were of firm red cushions.

For the half-day, Tsubasa was mainly posted at the front counter, where her job for the day was checking people in and seeing them out. Serving anyone at the time was merely a bonus, as she was only supposed to ding the bell and call an actual waiter over – but that was just for the half-day. After tending to the young couple and resuming her post at the front counter, she sighed and folded her elbows atop the cool black marble, her eyes watching the cuckoo clock atop the entrance closely. The pendulum swung melodically.

 _Can 12 o' clock hurry up?_

* * *

"And time!" Kaori called aloud as the last of blue team - which was being led by Bokuto - finished the last lap around the gym, leaving behind red team's Shibayama Yuuki. She then turned to Coach Naoi. "Nine minutes and 37 seconds."

"Hey hey hey!" Bokuto yelled triumphantly, pumping both his fists. "Another win for blue team! Did you see, Tsuba-"

Ah. And as soon as he turned to look to the sidelines with that expectant glint in his amber eyes, his hair deflated and he whimpered. From his side of the court, Kuroo rolled his eyes and watched as Bokuto fell to his knees in despair.

 _What a dumbass._

"Oi, Suzumeda…" Bokuto said pathetically, pursing his lips and approaching the first-year. The girl stiffened, flushing slightly. "When's Tsubasa gonna get here?"

…ah. The first-year immediately huffed, her eyes narrowing and her shoulders dropping. She then turned on her heel and and marched away.

"Hell if I know!"

"H-hey now!"

Donning a blue vest to show he was on blue team, Kenma sighed roughly at the odd captain as he tried to catch his breath. "Didn't he say Haku was coming at lunchtime? Why does he keep asking? It's annoying."

Kai, who was also on blue team, looked to the pudding-head. "You know who he's talking about?"

Kenma stared up at the male. He averted his gaze and nodded. "Haku. She's a childhood friend of ours."

"Wow. Including Kuroo?"

"Mm."

"I see. What an odd group of kids."

Kenma blinked slowly. He then nodded once again, sighing.

"We were."

* * *

Tsubasa anxiously tapped her fingertips against the counter as she watched the black cuckoo clock hanging right above the cafe's entrance. Twelve o' clock was just a mere six minutes away, and those remaining six minutes were truly testing her patience. She was just hoping she could escape before any of the other regulars got there.

"A little eager, aren't you, Tsubasa-san?" one of her co-workers, being a tall young man with sleek black hair, commented as he walked by. He balanced on his palm a large silver platter filled with glasses of soda, sweat tea, and the like. "Time will go slower the more you are aware of it."

"Let me be eager in peace, Hiromi-san!" the girl wailed, throwing herself atop the sleek counter. "I wanna see my friends..."

Abruptly, the little dove sitting in a neatly-carved nook towards the top of the clock burst out into the open, springing back and forth while whistling some odd tune that didn't seem to fit Powder's sleek atmosphere. Hearing it go off, and seeing the hour and minute hand striking 12, Tsubasa jumped from her spot and stood. She slammed her hands down on the counter and looked to her left, where a red curtain covered up the open entrance into the bakery part of Powder.

"Uncle, it's time! I'm leaving now!"

Ah. And the girl's fellow employees watched as she darted out of her post, eagerly throwing herself into the employee rooms beyond the bar. The lot of them chuckled at her, finding her newfound energy to be endearing. Five minutes later and the girl ran out dressed in the volleyball club jerseys, and after dancing around her waiters and waitresses to twirl her way to the exit, Masumi pushed the red curtain aside and stepped into the cafe.

"Wait just a moment!" the man exclaimed, standing before the doorway with a number of boxes between his arms. "I need an impromptu delivery."

Tsubasa, who whimpered upon seeing her exit cut off, did a double-take of the stack of boxes within her uncle's embrace. She gawked. "Excuse- what? All of them? To where? To whom? Now?"

"Ah- yeah- um," Masumi coughed into his shoulder, almost sheepishly. "Sakurai-san in the big neighborhood called for a sudden catering service for his niece."

Tsubasa gaped at the man. "But- I just- got out of my uniform..."

"I'll give you 60% of his payment. You're the only one here who can drive safely but quickly at the same time."

"...fine."

* * *

"Sheesh!" Bokuto cried as he emptied a bottle (offered by Kaori, of course). "When is Tsubasa gonna get here?!"

 _Seated on the short steps leading up to the gym, Akaashi stared at his phone endearingly as a paper plate of rice-balls sat beside him. He was in the middle of eating his third one when his phone vibrated suddenly._

Beside the owl captain, Kuroo heaved a tired sigh as he too emptied his own water bottle. "Complaining about it won't make her pop up faster, you know."

"Shut up!"

 _In the background, Akaashi blinked simply at his phone, before texting back a response._

They were now hitting lunchtime with the two teams mixed into one for a friendly and warm atmosphere, as they were all already familiar with each other and feeling as though it had been a while. Occupying a small field just a way's away from the gym, they relaxed with the plates of rice-balls and cups of tea set atop plastic tables prepared by red team.

"Who are you guys talking about?" Yaku prompted, approaching the two captains as they both sighed in irritation. At his side stood Kai and their second-year ace. "You two keep going on about this Tsubasa person. Who are they?"

Before either of those two could answer, Yukie stepped up to their little group and held up a jug of barley tea, offering it to them and their empty cups. Kai perked up and eagerly held his cup out. "Tsu-chan's one of our new managers," the young woman answered, nodding at Kai as he thanked her. Yamamoto held his cup out as well, but not without averting his gaze shyly as his cheeks flushed lightly. "Apparently she's childhood friends with those two."

" _Apparently_ ," Kuroo echoed, deadpanning into space.

Bokuto puffed, but retrieved a plastic cup from the table nearby anyway to plead for tea as well. "She said she'd be here around lunchtime... I want all four of us to be together already!"

Kuroo sighed once more as he politely rejected the tea, prompting Yukie to approach the other athletes. He crossed his arms and snorted at the opposing captain. "Dramatic much? We've all already seen each other."

"But we haven't been _together_ yet! All four of us! Speaking of which, where's Kenma?!"

Ah. The pudding-head shuddered as Bokuto easily spotted his blonde hair and called him over. Sighing, the setter trudged towards to the two, only for them to continue their conversation as if he wasn't there. Kenma released another sigh and stood beside Yamamoto, who crouched beside him curiously.

"Is..." the ace started hesitantly, "this... Tsubasa person the same Haku from that one time?"

Kenma looked to him from the corner of his eyes. He nodded then. "Yeah. The four of us are childhood friends."

Yaku hummed around a mouthful of rice. "Sounds dramatic."

"I guess."

"You're not playing any games for once," Kai then noted, smiling slightly. Kenma blinked up at the vice-captain, before he averted his gaze.

"I want to see Haku too."

...ah. The three males blinked rapidly at their quiet, and fairly timid setter. While Kuroo and Bokuto went on with their conversation in the background (which was now somehow about the reproduction cycle of seahorses), Yamamoto felt his current rice ball fall apart in his hands. Kenma simply huffed.

 _But it doesn't look like she'll be here anytime soon._

Off to the side and in the shadows, Akaashi smiled slightly at his phone.

 ** _Tsubasa-san [5/19 12:11 PM]:_** _KEIJI I'M GONNA BE LATE_

 _ **Tsubasa-san [5/19 12:13 PM]:** Uncle had a sudden delivery for me to make! I'm sorry!_

 _ **Tsubasa-san [5/19 12:15 PM]:** ...maybe I shouldn't text and drive?_

Ah. Akaashi sighed softly, quickly moving to reply as his smile fell off. The two had traded phone numbers the night they decided Tsubasa would be taking care of Miwa after school, and since then, they'd been chatting in the day and in the night.

 _ **[5/19 12:15 PM]:** Yes, please don't text and drive, for your sake and mine. I'm sure it's illegal for you to drive in the first place._

 _ **[5/19 12:16 PM]:** It's fine if you're late, so long as your fine. I'll save you some rice-balls. Drive safely._

 _ **[5/19 12:16 PM]:** I'll see you soon._

 ** _Tsubasa-san [5/19 12:17 PM]:_** _Okay!_

 _ **Tsubasa-san [5/19 12:17 PM]:** Oh oops sorry :(_

 _ **Tsubasa-san [5/19 12:18 PM]:** See you soon! :D_

...ah. Akaashi chuckled and pressed his cheek against his fist. With his face alight with pink, he scrolled through the conversations they had already held in the past three days. Trying to suppress his smile was an almost futile act, for it became harder and harder to do so as he continued reading. Abruptly, a pair of black sneakers entered the top of his vision, and he paused and looked up. Akaashi blinked up slowly at Kuroo, who grinned down at him simply.

"What is it, Kuroo-san?" the second-year prompted politely, putting his phone up.

"Nothing~ Just thought you looked _cute_ on your phone like that," Kuroo remarked, leaning up against the side of the building. "Who's got you so _adorable_?"

Akaashi stared up at the male. _What's with him?_ "I was just texting Tsubasa-san. She said she's going to be late."

The teasing grin slipped away from Kuroo's face. A solid minute passed as the two stared at each other simply, with the cat's eyes lidded almost haughtily and the owl's eyes large and watchful. Kuroo then smirked once more, pushing off the wall.

"Thanks for the update," he shot over his shoulder, before moving to return to Bokuto. Akaashi stared at his back.

 _What's with him?_

* * *

 _Dammit it's 1 o' clock!_

Tsubasa groaned as she biked through Fukuroudani's gates. Hopping off and securing her bike to a nearby bike-post at the front of the school, Tsubasa trotted around the front building and walked as fast as she could along the outside. Her hair was still braided from her work that day, but she figured she could fix it up later. After navigating the school's outer walkways, Tsubasa found the gym falling into her vision. She blinked.

"Ah, Coach Yuuto!" she called, waving excitedly. The assistant coach was standing at the gym's door and about to open them, clad in a navy blue tracksuit. "Sorry, I'm late!"

The blonde laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry, we're late too. Coach Nekomata has been handling practice in our absence."

Tsubasa blinked as she came to a stop before the man. She then took notice of the man beside Coach Yuuto, who wore a similar tracksuit but darker and more ragged-looking. The unknown man's peppered hair and somewhat-baggy eyes informed Tsubasa that he was older than the young blonde on his side, and that he was, perhaps, a respectable figure. Tsubasa blinked at his greyish-blue irises, so shiny with knowledge and wisdom. She bowed her head, watching him curiously.

"Hello," she greeted politely, almost timidly. The man smiled at her.

"Ah, Tsubasa-san, this is our Head Coach, Yamiji Takeyuki-san," Coach Yuuto said, smiling. "Coach, this is one of our newest managers; Kageyama Tsubasa-san, a second-year."

"I see," the head coach acknowledged, bowing his head towards the small girl. "A pleasure. Thank you for helping Shirofuku-san. I've heard from Yuuto-kun that you're childhood friends with Bokuto."

Tsubasa perked up and nodded her head briskly. "Ah- yes! I'm sorry for the trouble he's caused."

"No, not at all. It's always amusing to see how he lightens up the place. Let's join them all now, shall we?"

"Yes!"

And so, Coach Yuuto pushed the doors open for the two of them. Almost immediately, someone called out a warning.

"Look out!"

The girl moved faster than the old coach. With a simple hop forward, Tsubasa crouched and positioned her arms out before her. The volleyball bounced right off the inside of her arms and up into the air, floating back into a volleyball player's expectant hands. Kuroo, who had spiked the ball and hit it into the pole sustaining the volleyball net, blinked rapidly at the sight of the girl and her stupid braided hair. Light illuminated her figure from behind and outlined her hair with some ethereal glow, leaving her light-grey irises to shine in her shadow. The faintest breath escaped him.

Coach Yuuto patted the head coach sympathetically as the older man blinked at the girl in surprise, and as the action inside the gym ceased for the moment, the cats - disregarding what teams they were on currently - blinked rapidly at the girl. The athlete that caught the ball, who was currently on red team but actually owning to the owls, gave a friendly wave in her direction.

"Thanks, Tsu-san. Nice receive as always!"

Ah. Tsubasa threw the male a thumb's up. "Of course!"

"Hey hey hey! It's Tsubasa and Coach Yamiji!"

...ah. Tsubasa braced herself as she heard the thundering footsteps of her best friend rapidly approaching her at break-neck speed. Feeling her feet leave the ground and finding some familiar pair of biceps suffocating her, Tsubasa sighed but relaxed into his embrace anyway. She then smiled as the remaining owls came to crowd around them in order to greet their head coach, greeting them quietly. Kuroo huffed as his vision of her became obscured.

"Coach Yamiji, welcome back from your vacation!" Bokuto greeted with the girl hugged tightly to his chest. He then twirled her about. "This is my best friend Tsubasa! She's one of our managers now!"

The middle-aged man laughed heartily. "I can see that! I'm glad we now have someone to hold you down."

Bokuto smiled blankly. "What?"

"I heard we got another new manager alongside Kageyama-san. Who is it?"

As if on cue, Yukie appeared beside the captain with Kaori by her side. "It's this one. Suzumeda Kaori, a first-year."

Kaori bowed politely. "H-hello."

Coach Yamiji bowed back. "Hello. Welcome to the team, you two. I look forward to working with you two."

"Yes!"

Bokuto gently dropped Tsubasa on her feet as she began pulling on his stylized locks, just as Komi stepped up to the head coach. "Coach, did you hear? We beat Ushiwaka a few times during Golden Week!"

"Yeah, I heard. Good work, all of you! I apologize for missing it, but I'll be sure to overlook our future wins. Has everyone been well?"

And the owls looked amongst each other, grinning and nodding their heads confidently. Konoha slid up beside the aged man.

"Coach~" the blonde sang quietly behind his hand. "Man, have I got some stories for you. Everything's been good, but we've had some... _teenage_ drama. You're not gonna believe it."

"Oh? Is that so? I look forward to hearing it, Konoha." The aged man then looked past the blonde as two men approached him, and he smirked. "Coach Nekomata," he said in lieu of greeting. "You don't look a day older."

"Oh, cut the flattery," responded the older coach, who grinned back despite his reply. "Good to see you, Coach. Finally ready to take care of your owls? I held off the practice matches for you."

Coach Yamiji nodded, crossing his arms. "Yes, I'm more than ready. Let's begin, shall we?"

"Of course. Naoi-kun, have the first-years mop up, alright?"

"Yes sir." Coach Naoi, who was tanned and young and fairly handsome, looked over to Coach Yuuto. "Why don't you collect the vests, Yuuto?"

"Geh. You're not gonna tell me to tell my athletes to do it?"

And Coach Naoi was stalking off. Yuuto sweat-dropped at the opposing coach, slouching on the spot and wondering what his problem was. Regardless, he went around collecting the red and blue vests of his owls before further approaching the cats. As Coach Yamiji continued socializing with his owls and catching up with them, Kuroo and his teammates stood off to the sidelines as the first-years mopped the court clean. He perked up as the owls shifted enough to let Tsubasa back in his sight.

She was talking, it appeared, to one of the other owls, who he couldn't see simply because they were being blocked by Bokuto's bulk and Washio's figure. Regardless, seeing the light bounce off her braided hair and feeling the gentle sound-waves of her laughter strike his eardrums sent the cage of his gut rattling noisily and anxiously and beautifully with butterflies, and he felt yet another breath escape him. Beside him, Yaku whistled at the sight of the girl.

"W-whoa," the libero uttered, his cheeks flushing a bit. Beside him and whimpering pathetically on the floor was Yamamoto. "Talk about a beauty. Kuroo, Kenma, you two know that- girl...?"

He had only turned his head to look at the captain. Upon seeing Kuroo in such a state - being dazed and positively lovestruck - the libero pursed his lips and looked between him and Tsubasa rapidly. His eyes widened in disbelief.

 _N-no way!_

Not taking notice of the libero, Kuroo took a small step towards the girl, who was now being surrounded by her fellow owls including Bokuto. Just as he gathered the courage he needed to even _think_ of calling out to her, she turned her head up to the left, allowing him to see the beautiful curl of her bangs and spot the mole poking out from beneath the white strands, and she-

She smiled.

At Akaashi.

Kuroo stilled as Akaashi nodded gently, his cheeks a lovely dusting of pink. Bokuto and Washio had moved at just the right time to allow the cat captain visibility of those two, and he was more or less wishing he'd never seen anything. The slight smile upon the setter's face was indescribably but not inexplicably warm and- it was familiar. It was a familiar warmth, one Kuroo had known for years. His gut froze.

 _Oh._

Not too far away from him, Kenma shuffled on the spot anxiously and twiddled his fingers together. He simply wanted to greet the girl. Almost as if Tsubasa heard his mental pleas, the girl glanced over in his direction and immediately lit up. She turned away briefly to look up to Akaashi and pat his arm, pointing to Kenma. When Akaashi nodded and smiled, almost as if encouraging her to go, she turned on her heels and darted for the pudding-head.

"Kenma!" the girl cried, launching herself off the shiny flooring with her arms spread. The boy stiffened on the spot, looking around hastily before hurriedly bracing himself.

Tsubasa squealed excitedly as she latched her arms and legs around his upper body, prompting him to draw his arms up around her waist. He staggered for a few seconds as Tsubasa nuzzled her face into his neck; she was beyond happy that he had actually caught her and was actually holding her.

"Uwah! Kenma I missed you! You're actually carrying me..."

Ah. The pudding-head huffed, his arms coming around to support the girl. "Haku, did... you gain weight?"

Tsubasa blinked. She then leaned back, smiling down at him innocently. "I did actually! 'Cause I'm eating more like normal now."

"Is that so..." Puffing out another breath, the setter managed a loose smile. His teammates reeled back in shock. "That's good."

As Kai dragged a lifeless Yamamoto away from the two, Yaku stroked his chin and watched with wide eyes. "Kenma's holding a girl... Kenma's smiling at a beautiful girl!" The libero looked up to his left, where Kuroo stood watching silently. "Y-you guys grew up with this girl?"

Kuroo shrugged simply, watching as Kenma let the girl onto her feet. Her gaze then shifted behind Kenma, where Kuroo and Yaku stood quietly observing. Her beam returned and she moved to tackle Kuroo.

"Tet- uwah!"

"This," the cat captain said, planting a hand harshly atop her head to keep her at arm's length, "is Yaku, our libero. You two are both short, so you'll get along."

"What was that?!" the two of them exclaimed, only for the libero to blush slightly at their synchronization.

Tsubasa huffed simply, glaring up at the male as he kept his fingers dug into her hair. She outstretched her arms and waved them, trying to get a hold of the familiar male in order to pull him into a hug, but alas, the effort was for naught as Kuroo simply continued pointing out his teammates.

"Then there's Kai, our vice-captain. And that over there is Inuoka, a good kid, and his buddy, Shiba-"

"Ah geez!" Tsubasa cried, pushing his arm off. Kuroo blinked at her. "If you don't wanna hug me, then fine! You could at least say hi."

Kuroo stared down at her quietly. He averted his gaze. "Hi."

Tsubasa was immediately beaming once more, and she locked her hands behind her and nodded. "Hi, Tetsurou!"

...ah. And his face was alight with pink flames. Kuroo huffed as Tsubasa turned to Yaku to bow politely (who could barely bow back), before she turned back to Kenma. Before she could say anything more, however, Coach Yamiji and Coach Nekomata blew their whistles to call their volleyball players to attention. She hurried off then, waving at Kenma and his teammates, before returning to her own team.

Watching Akaashi welcome her back with a small smile, Kuroo turned away slowly.

 _So that's how it is._

* * *

 **word count:** 5,956

 **a/n: MERRY CHRISTMAS UGH.**

I have thirty minutes until midnight. Was kinda hoping to get this out earlier, but my brother finally came home and we've been catching up. I hope you all had a good day today! Now, time for business.

 **1.** I know I promised a Halloween chapter, but I was struggling to write it because in my head, certain things would have happened at the point of Halloween time in the main story, so I kept including things that you guys wouldn't yet know about and I couldn't imagine those things not having yet happened, if that makes sense. So unfortunately, that chapter won't be coming out. I'm really sorry, especially since I was so excited to get that out! On the bright side, though, I _did_ end up writing a chapter that's likely to appear later on down the line, so I guess you can still look forward to it? But that leads me to my next point.

 **2.** I've said before that I feel really bad when I can't update you guys on what's happening. Like whether it's an update on my life or on the story, I feel bad when people look forward to an update and it just doesn't come without explanation, and I just had life screwing me over last month. So I was thinking of making a Tumblr to better communicate with you guys. It wouldn't hassle me at all and would actually help alleviate some of my guilt, so if anyone says, "Hell yea you should make a Tumblr!" then I will. Even if only one person says it, I'll do it, 'cause I value communication very much. Next month, I'll be having night classes again and one of those classes will be ending at 1 in the morning, and it's just gonna be really rough.

 **3.** Our blonde assistant coach's name is Yuuto Asuka! Yay~ Just so you guys know and are aware and don't get confused when I use the canon coach's name. Sorry about that change, I just gotta stick as close to the canon as possible.

And I... think that's it. This chapter was just me trying to get a feel for writing out Nekoma and Fukuroudani's head coach, and it was a bit hard (so there's probably lots of typos, I'll fix that in the morning). I'll probably go binge Haikyuu tonight just to do some research and get a better feel for the characters. But... yeah, that's it.

AS ALWAYS~~ thanks so much for the support, the reviews, the follows, and the love! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a good day, and if we're lucky, then maybe we'll have an update before the New Year. But if not, Happy New Years to everybody!

See ya next time!

-glasses cloth


	16. 16

**16 we've grown up and we're still growing**

 _"This... is all my fault, isn't it?"_

 _The little boy perked up. Seated across from her in some cold and damp cave - which was cramped due to stray rocks and icky collections of moss - Kenma's dull irises glinted just slightly in the dimness all around them. The both of them were clad in casual clothes since their elementary school wasn't picky, but disregarding apparel, they shared a series of bruises, scrapes, and cuts that would have any responsible adult worrying like crazy._

 _Little Tsubasa hugged her battered knees against her chest. She was dressed in jean shorts and a simple Totoro tank-top to help her get through the summer weather, an effort that was obviously for naught considering how heavy the downpour was outside of their little shelter. Her clothes, just like his, were torn in all the right places and stained by grass and dirt, and maybe even some blood here and there. Clad in his own pair of jeans and some short-sleeved hoodie, Kenma simply pulled at his drawstrings with shaky fists._

 _"I'm sorry," Tsubasa murmured, clenching her hands. "You didn't even want to go on the school trip, and then you got paired up with the class's freak. I'm sorry. I should have just stayed home."_

 _Kenma stole a glance at her from the corner of his eyes. He averted his gaze once more and opted for remaining silent._

 _"You don't like me either. This must really suck, huh?"_

 _"..."_

 _"...that's okay."_

 _Kenma looked to her as she stood. His dull irises, in that very moment, abruptly took on some golden shine as he took in the image of the little girl before him; she stood as tall as her height allowed her despite the blood beginning to bubble out of her opened wounds. Somehow, as if it were magic, sunlight broke through the heavy grey clouds above the forest and shot violently through the thick canopy, lighting up her figure as she stepped out into the rain with her tired hands cupped around her lips. With a deep breath, she took his own breath for herself to give her trembling muscles steadiness and her rushing blood a sense of ease, allowing her to yell confidently into the forest around them:_

 _"Because I have Koutarou! And Koutarou will always be there for me!"_

* * *

" _Hold up_!"

Ah. And the volleyball players, including the managers and coaches situated on the sidelines, paused at the abrupt exclamation. The lot of them could only blink as Bokuto stomped a foot to accentuate his cry, and as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, Tsubasa and Akaashi shared a look of concern.

"What's up, Koutarou?" the girl prompted, trotting up to him to settle a hand on his shoulder. Swiftly, the male grabbed her wrist. She blinked. "Eh? Ah!"

Tsubasa yelped as the owl captain suddenly tossed her over his shoulder, hauling her about like a sack of potatoes. As much as the owls wanted to brush off the action (they were already way too used to their captain manhandling the girl, so much that even _they_ were beginning to poke and twirl her about), they somehow found that this instance was a bit different than those in the past. It was a… feeling, for lack of a better word, and it was a feeling that had them slightly anxious.

"K-Koutarou! What-"

" _Seven years_!" Bokuto interrupted as he stomped over towards Kenma. "It's been seven years and that's all you're gonna say?!"

The anxious setter found his feet glued to the floor, almost as if he were paralyzed, and all he could do was look about frantically for an escape route. As soon as his eyes settled upon the open doors, his ankles twitched in that direction – only for Bokuto to grab him by his shirt and throw him over his other shoulder. Tsubasa smiled awkwardly at her new neighbor.

"H-hi again."

"Haku, what's Kou doing?" Kenma questioned as he struggled against the arm that pinned him down. Finding his actions useless, Kenma huffed and looked to the girl. "Whatever it is, get him to stop."

"I-I'm just as useless as you are in this situation! Koutarou barely listens to me when he throws me over his shoulder…"

Everyone watched as the two relatively-small teenagers sighed in defeat atop the owl captain's shoulders, who was just beginning to back Kuroo against the stage located in the gym. Almost nervously, the cat captain raised his hands in surrender.

"H-hey, whatever you're doing, knock it out," Kuroo said as he offered a twitching grin. "You're making a scene! Let's handle this later, alri-"

" _No_! You're the worst, you know?! Kenma not only hugged her, but he even carried her! Why can't you do that?! Let's all hug it out! It's been seven years, dammit!"

"Ah- is that what this is about? Well- whoa!" Kuroo darted to the side as Bokuto's foot suddenly shot out towards him, prompting the cat to stumble for a few seconds before regaining his footing. He dodged once more as Bokuto repeated the attack. "Oi, watch it! What're you tryin' to do?!"

"Trying- to- get you! Just come here, dammit!"

At this point, Bokuto was kicking Kuroo about and trying to direct him towards the opened doors on the side. Luckily for Kuroo, he wasn't being weighed down by anything, and so, dodging and moving out of the way proved to be no problem for him. Everyone else in the gym watched as they continued like that in circles.

Kuroo's brow twitched as he stepped back from another kick. "Well, _like I was saying_ \- I'm a _man_ , so it'd be pretty weird for me to hug some kid like her, you know? It's been seven years, like you said; it's easy to see that I've grown and she hasn't."

…ah. Tsubasa immediately jerked from her position and pushed herself up to glare behind her. "What was that?!"

"See, look! You're still being manhandled like when we were kids. _Gross_."

"Coming from the guy who has had that bedhead _literally_ since the day he was born!"

"Well, who says my bedhead recently has been caused from sleep?"

"Oh yeah?! Well-"

" _Stop changing the subject_!"

And the surrounding owls, alongside the cats and the childhood friends, blinked at the captain's abrupt cry. It was more of a pleading wail, for its squeaky tone and choked syllables gave off an air of desperation that signaled to everyone that their eccentric leader was crying – which wasn't strange at all, considering how often he cried.

But somehow, it was different this time around.

Bokuto's strong grip on the two teens atop his shoulders gradually began to weaken as his shoulders began quaking alongside his hiccups. His sniffles stuttered according to his stalled breaths and his eyes clenched tightly as he tilted his face up just a little, just to accommodate to the rivers streaming down his cheeks. Kuroo could only blink slowly – once, twice, three times – before his heart-rate began to dull and his mind buzzed with silence. On his right shoulder, Tsubasa frowned and attempted to look down at the male.

"Koutarou?" she prompted gently, turning so that her side molded against his shoulder and her right arm reached for his face. Her fingers found the side of his face, and feeling the dampness on his cheeks, her chest began to throb. "Why are you crying?"

And Koutarou sobbed aloud then, his grip tightening once more around the two. "B-because-! I-I missed a-all of us- and T-Tetsu doesn't care!"

Kuroo's eyes widened. On Bokuto's left shoulder, Kenma stiffened just a bit. His small hands reached for the back of Bokuto's shirt, and there, he gripped the cloth tightly and lowered his face. Hearts began hurting and forgotten memories returned the surface for the beautiful breath of life.

Kuroo gulped slightly, and with his hands clenched at his side, he averted his hazel irises to the floor. _Don't call me that. Please._

Tsubasa's frown twitched into something more severe, and she looked over her shoulder to Kuroo. Her silvery eyes pleaded for reconciliation. "Tetsurou, it's just a hug. I thought you were looking forward to all of us together too."

The male glanced up to the girl. Finding her eyes gleaming into him with the gentlest frown shaping her lips, he gulped once more. Awkwardly, it seemed, he pressed a hand against his hip and reached with the other hand to scratch the back of his head. _Shit. How do I fix this? How-_

"It's not that I wasn't looking forward to it," Kuroo started, his eyes falling to his shoes. _How_ can _I fix this?_ Bokuto's sobbing quieted just a bit to listen. "But… It's like you said; it's _just_ a hug. I-"

And Koutarou stepped forward, his tears picking up once more. "Tet-"

" _I would have thought_ ," Kuroo interrupted as he raised his eyes to Bokuto. "That you guys would have wanted something _more_ than a hug. Something more, like, maybe… sleeping together tonight? Like back then?"

Bokuto blinked, alongside a surprised Tsubasa and Kenma. Slowly, those two slipped off of Bokuto's shoulders as his arms fell to his side. The three of them stared at Kuroo with wide eyes. The male flushed slightly, crossing his arms tautly and turning his nose up.

"I mean- that's just my thought! It's just a hug! I- I can give that too, dumbass."

And just a bit, his eyes cracked open to fall open a blankly-staring Tsubasa, who could only blink when their gazes met. Kuroo slowly uncurled his arms for her. When she remained on her spot, his face flushed violently and his hair spiked up even more in agitation.

"Well?! What're you waiting for?! Don't make such a commotion about it and then not-"

Tsubasa closed the distance between them with a swift series of steps forward. Bringing her arms up, she wrapped the tall male within her embrace and pressed her face and her glasses into his shirt. Kuroo stilled. The feeling of her heart beating gently against his ribcage combined with the warmth he'd been pining for in his everyday life sent a violet series of palpitations assaulting his mind and body, and it was such an intense attack that he nearly stepped back with some choked gasp.

But when the familiar scent of woodchips and vanilla floated into his senses, he relaxed. His eyes softened and closed in long-deserved peace, only to open so he could find himself in a scene only he seemed to know; it was a garden, one from his- _their_ past with the shattered gnome and the silly melodies sung from some stuck-up instrument. Ambient greenery brushed together to chirp out the slightest whistles of lovely sunrises, and wisps of coziness combed through his hair in order to reach his eyes. He blinked slowly then, reawakening in the reality of the high school gymnasium.

And now, finally at ease, Kuroo's arms slowly lowered so that his large hands could come down to press gently into the small of her back. At this moment, Kenma shifted from his spot, almost robotically, to join the hug. He leaned atop Tsubasa's back and pressed his cheek against the top of her head, while his arms lifted up only to clench into the fabric of Kuroo's shirt. The pudding-head then closed his eyes peacefully, but not before looking over his shoulder _just a bit_ to wave Bokuto over.

Bokuto sniffled. He went flying in an instant to join and complete the group hug. His beefy arms easily reached around to the back of Kuroo's shirt, effectively squeezing them all together. As those four found themselves relaxing in each other's arms, those watching on the sidelines could only gape at the turn of events.

"I-it's a shoujo manga," Yaku uttered behind a hand, as the scene's intimacy had him flushing. Not too far from him, Yamamoto sank to his knees as he foamed at the mouth. "It's a reverse-harem slice-of-life romance shoujo manga!"

Beside the libero, Kai grinned crookedly. "So specific."

With the owls, Coach Yamiji curiously watched Akaashi from the corner of his eyes, while beside him, Coach Yuuto hid his slightly-red face in his palms. Standing beside Washio and Onaga, Akaashi simply blinked slowly as he put his phone away, before turning his gaze up toward the clock. Yamiji hummed, before also looking to check the time.

"Don't tell me they're dating," Komi then muttered, his eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of Tsubasa and Kuroo.

Ah. Yukie huffed beside him, crossing her arms. "I don't approve."

Sarukui was next to voice his opinion, in which he hummed in scrutiny. "There's no way, right?"

And then Konoha tutted, glaring at the cat captain. "Tch. Absolutely no way."

...ah. Kaori deadpanned at the third-years and their snide comments, but found herself agreeing anyway; somehow, despite the words she had uttered to her classmates, even _she_ was beginning to see the potential between Tsubasa and Akaashi. Just then, the four teens began to loosen in their embrace, and as Tsubasa patted Kenma's and Kuroo's shoulders so they could part ways, Bokuto returned to his loud and excitable self as he bounced back to his team. With Tsubasa following after him, leaving Kenma and Kuroo to stand there quietly (almost as if they didn't want to be confronted by their team after whatever the hell just happened), the coaches finally looked to each other and nodded.

It was finally time for a series of long-awaited practice matches.

* * *

"Left, left!" Bokuto commanded with an energizing smirk.

Joining Akaashi in the block, Konoha tutted as the spike grazed his fingertips. "One touch!"

"Alright, Onaga!" Sarukui called, receiving the ball cleanly and sending it towards the middle of their side. Perking up, the first-year took a few quick steps forward before jumping and swinging his arm.

On the other side of the net, Yaku grunted as he dove for the ball. With his palm sliding against the wooden floors, the Nekoma players tutted as the ball bounced off his hand the wrong way, opting instead to fly towards the back of the court. The whistle sounded then, resulting in another point and another cheer for the owls. On the sidelines, Tsubasa and Kaori released heavy breaths.

"This is tense," Kaori muttered, pulling at the collar of her shirt.

Tsubasa nodded and leaned back on her palms. Her eyes fell upon Kuroo as the captain slapped Yaku's back in encouragement. _A good captain._ She then smiled widely at Bokuto, who was high-fiving Onaga proudly. "It is. But it's fun too!"

The current score was 5-8, with owls in the lead. Occupied in their second practice match of the day, those of Nekoma and Fukuroudani glared at each other with the purest licks of sportsmanship. Ever since the coming of Kuroo and Bokuto into their respective high schools, the two Tokyo groups had become closer with each other than ever before. Even more than that, the competition between cats and owls multiplied exponentially, all simply because Kuroo and Bokuto had been rivals since childhood.

Yukie stood beside Coaches Nekomata and Naoi. Seeing she was the senior manager who was already well-acquainted with the Nekoma team (only because they came over too often for practice matches), she was assigned to be their manager for the day. This left Tsuabsa in charge of Kaori, which left the both of them taking care of their owls. As such, the two immediately got to tending to the players as Coach Nekomata called for a time-out.

"Nice kill, Ona-kun!" Tsubasa praised as she handed the first-year a water bottle. "You've improved a lot since Golden Week."

The shaven-headed male nodded, smiling slightly at the manager. _It's hard to believe Tsubasa-senpai is having conflicts with her classmates._ "T-thank you. Your receives are sharp as usual."

"Hee hee! Thanks!"

"Tsubasa-chan, you got a bandage?" Konoha then prompted. He approached her while cradling his right hand, which bled around the fingernail of his index finger. A thin river of red trailed down his finger and over his palm. "The ball treated me wrong."

Tsubasa frowned immediately at the sight of the wound. "Eh… that looks bad. It's not jammed, is it?"

"Nope~ The ball just clipped my fingernail. Shoulda cut my nails earlier."

The girl hummed in scrutiny before digging around the pockets of her jersey pants. She smiled brightly as she held up a fistful of bandages, all of them printed with either soot sprites or Totoro figures. "Which one do you want?"

Konoha hummed thoughtfully, stroking his chin and leaning down. "Hm… The soot sprites are looking good today." He then straightened up with a smile. "I'll take some soot sprites!"

"Any color?"

"Any color."

"Okay!" Isolating a random bandage with soot sprites, the girl further removed a handkerchief from her pocket and pressed it against the blonde's nail. She then turned to Kaori, who was tending to Komi and Sarukui. "Kaorin~ Can you tend to everyone else for me? I wanna make sure Konoha-san's finger is fine."

The girl perked up and nodded. "Osu."

As the tall brunette jogged over to Bokuto and Akaashi, Konoha snickered. "Ah~ Special treatment from the White-Haired Beauty? My heart's all doki-doki!"

Ah. Tsubasa chuckled, moving the cloth just a bit so she could see if he was still bleeding. "Such a silly reputation," she responded, smiling as his finger proved to be properly clotted. She gently held his finger in the cloth so she could brush her own fingertips against his digits, checking to see if any of them felt out of place. In the meantime, Konoha tilted his head curiously at her remark.

"Silly reputation? Why do you say that?"

Seated on the bench not too far away from the two, Coach Yamiji smiled slightly as the girl proceeded to unwrap a bandage carefully.

"Kageyama-san gets along with all the players," the man noted, catching the attention of Coach Yuuto.

 _"Because! I'm not that pretty. They're only saying that because my hair is white and it makes pretty reflections."_

Coach Yuuto smiled, nodding as he watched the two as well. "Yeah. Alongside being easy to get along with, she's very knowledgeable and skilled with first-aid and cooking. And, as you've seen, she's familiar with playing volleyball. I'm glad Shirofuku-san recruited her."

 _"Eh… You really think so? I think your face is pretty too. Though, your glasses are kinda in the way…"_

Yamiji turned to the blonde with some curious grin. In the background, Tsubasa laughed as the blonde tickled her nose in an attempt to pull her glasses off. "Is the teenage drama Konoha mentioned between the two of them?"

(And in the back-background, Kuroo's eyes narrowed at the blonde, who simply smirked knowingly at the cat captain.)

((And then in the back- _back_ -background, Akaashi stared at the playful interaction between the blonde and the manager with hardened eyes. Sensing this, Konoha quickly turned to the setter to wave a hand and assure him he was only being friendly.))

((( _Maybe a little too friendly,_ was a thought unknowingly shared between Kuroo and Akaashi.)))

Yuuto blinked, almost confused. "Eh? Between Tsubasa-san and Konoha-kun?" And then the blonde laughed, waving his hand. "Ah, no, no! All the drama these days is because of her, Bokuto-kun, and Akaashi-kun. Konoha-kun is more or less documenting them."

The head coach perked up, blinking. "Akaashi? Involved in drama?"

Yuuto nodded as he scratched his cheek. "Right? Konoha-kun and Komi-kun are sure to tell you all about it. Right, Komi-kun?" Standing beside Sarukui just a few feet away from them, the libero nodded eagerly. Yuuto looked back to Tsubasa, before his gaze shifted to Kaori. "But Suzumeda-san is quite efficient as well. I heard from Shirofuku-san that she used to be an athlete herself, so she typically takes over when it comes to applying athletic tape and the like. She's a bit coach-like, to be honest."

"Heh. I see we're in good hands this year."

"Yeah. But..."

Just then, as if it were cued, Kaori stomped away after smacking Bokuto across the face. He'd made some accidentally-lewd comment regarding the young girl's sweatpants (something about them being too small for her ass) that ended with a harsh slap and a blushing first-year. Kaori - who was, at the moment, rushing over to Tsubasa to file a complaint - didn't know if she should feel flattered to know that the captain apparently knew the size of her butt, or self-conscious _because_ the captain knew her size. Regardless, the coaches were sweat-dropping as the tall brunette began ranting to both Konoha and Tsubasa and even Onaga.

"Suzumeda-san has some problems to work out," Yuuto finished. Yamiji grinned at that, before shifting his gaze back to Tsubasa.

"Does Kageyama-san have any problems?" he then asked. Yuuto hummed.

"Well, she's anemic, so Shirofuku-san tries to keep her away from any physically-taxing tasks," the blonde then answered. "But she also has a job after school, so she hardly ever comes to after-school practice. She helps Akaashi-kun manage morning practice though. Also..." Yuuto leaned closer to the head coach, and whispered behind his hand, "Apparently there's some controversy around her last name, so she prefers to be called by her first name. Even Akaashi-kun and Washio-kun abide by that request."

Coach Yamiji hummed thoughtfully, before he nodded and took mental note. He then stood and clapped his hands together to catch his owls' attention.

"Alright, let's keep the game going!"

"Osu!"

* * *

26-24 was the night's final score.

Nekoma's ace released some haggard breath of frustration as his teammates panted tiredly around him. Similarly, on the other side of the net, Bokuto and his teammates breathed with evident exhaustion. The only difference between the teams was the vibrant gleam in the owls' eyes.

"Ah, victory!" Bokuto finally cried, throwing himself back and punching his fists in the air. What seemed like tension finally broke as the owls looked amongst each other and grinned proudly, despite the obvious exhaustion. Bokuto turned to the team's blonde. "Konoha! That last spike was killer! Thanks for getting the game!"

Konoha smirked, shrugging. "Well," he breathed, panting noticeably heavier than the others as he looked to Kuroo from the corner of his eyes, "I was in the mood to kick ass."

And soon enough, the teams were gathering with their respective coaches to discuss weaknesses and strengths. While the owls were more or less boasting to their head coach, who listened intently like some proud father, the cats were quietly cursing beneath their tired breaths. Coach Nekomata made sure to commend them for their hard work and to keep breathing, as nothing done that day was a mistake. He clapped his hands then, made sure to tell Kuroo to keep an eye on his teammates, and stood to drag Coach Yamiji away for a night of drinking. Coaches Naoi and Yuuto followed them begrudgingly after bidding good night to the teens.

Bokuto was easily the first to approach the cats. "Hey hey hey! It's time for after-practice-"

"Wait!"

The volleyball players looked to Yukie as she stepped between the two teams. Somehow, the lax grin on her face seemed smug, as she looked to Kuroo with her hands clapped together.

"Red team lost earlier, right? So they have to help managers clean and make dinner tonight," she reminded the lot of them. " _Right_?"

Ah. Kuroo and the others owning to red team tutted. "Completely forgot about that…"

Yukie's smile broadened as Kuroo and his 'teammates' gathered in front of her. "So let's have the owls in red team finish up the laundry, and the cats can help Tsu-chan and I make dinner. Kaori, stay here and make sure no one injures themselves in after-practice practice, okay?"

The first-year perked up and nodded. "Osu."

Konoha huffed as he crossed his arms. "Why're you making us fellow owls handle the dirty shit?"

Yukie offered him a chilling smile. "Because you know me, so you know I like it when the laundry is done properly, and you _especially_ know what happens when it _isn't_ done properly. Okay?"

…ah. Konoha raised his hands in surrender and nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Then, let's get going~"

"Osu…"

Bokuto pouted as he watched a majority of the volleyball players leave, and when he looked around to see the gym slowly emptying out, he huffed. Quickly, he looked around for his fellow starters, and quickly spotted Akaashi making his way to the dryers with Konoha and Sarukui.

"Akaashi, Saru! You two aren't gonna practice with me?!"

The two paused, and with a slight breath, Akaashi replied, "Bokuto-san, we were both on red team. But you still have Washio-san and Komi-san, and Onaga as well. If you're going to continue practice, then please help Onaga straighten up."

As if on cue. Onaga bowed to Bokuto politely. "P-please practice with me!"

"E-eh?! Ah- of course, of course! Washi Tape, jump some blocks for us!"

And as the stone-faced middle blocker nodded simply, the other group in charge of chores was in the kitchen at this point. They were located deeper in the kitchen that wasn't visible to the cafeteria, and was essentially the real kitchen where the cooking was actually done. Tsubasa and Yukie pulled on their aprons as per usual while the volleyball players got to washing their hands. Thankfully, it was a small group, with only Kuroo, Yaku, Shibayama, and Yamamoto assisting the managers.

"So, what's for dinner?" Kuroo asked as he leaned a familiar elbow atop Tsubasa's head.

Yukie held herself back from glaring. "Curry and rice, of course. Do any of you know how to make curry?"

"I-I know how to make rice!" Shibayama immediately said with an eager raise of his hand. He then paused and blushed slightly, lowering his hand. "Er- s-sorry. I guess you're not asking that…"

"It's fine~ You can make the rice. It's a lot of rice though, so just call for help if you need it. The rice-makers are in the back."

"Y-yes!"

As the first-year libero eagerly ran towards the back of the kitchen, Yukie looked to Tsubasa as she spoke up. "Well, cooking the meat will probably be the hardest to do, so I'll do that part. Just chicken with pork cutlets on the side, right?"

"Yup. I'll handle the roux then. Yaku, can you help me get the ingredients? Yamamoto, you can start cleaning up the servings trays and plates."

"Osu."

"O-osu!"

Tsubasa smiled up at Kuroo as Yukie and the other two trotted towards the back where the refrigerators were. "Then I guess Tetsurou's my assistant!" The young man blinked down at her slowly. Not waiting for him to reply, she tightened her apron and trotted to the stoves. "Tetsurou, can you get the packaging of chicken and pork in the refrigerator? It should be in the bigger fridge on the bottom shelf."

Kuroo watched her small back as she turned the stoves on and looked about for a pan. _So domestic._ "Sure." _Dammit, it's nice._

Opening the bigger refrigerator as suggested, the male knelt down to reach for the aforementioned packages of meat. Just then, Yukie, who was situated in front of the smaller refrigerator next to him, pinched his ear and pulled on him harshly. He bit back a yelp upon seeing the threatening glint in her eyes.

"Don't you dare try anything on Tsu-chan, okay~?"

Ah. Kuroo nodded stiffly. "Y-yeah."

With Yukie and Yaku making their way to the other side of the kitchen, where another set of stoves sat beside a large counter, Kuroo quickly gathered the packages and returned to Tsubasa. He blinked as he found her already filling a bowl with flour and another with panko, and when she noticed him staring, she smiled.

"Tetsurou, hurry, hurry! I need eggs next!"

 _Ah._

Tautly, he smiled and nodded, feeling Yukie's eyes drilling into his head. "Sure."

 _I'm screwed._

* * *

"Geh. Komiyan, what're you doing up here with us?"

Ah. The short libero sighed heavily as he sprawled himself out on the floor, prompting Konoha and Sarukui to step around him carefully. "I'm tired! I wanna take a break in peace!"

"Heh~ must be nice~"

"Say, what's the date today?" Sarukui suddenly asked as he and Konoha got to hanging the bibs along the railing. They were located in the main gym on the second floor, looking out across the gym below them where Bokuto was giving Onaga spiking advice. Konoha and Komi perked up.

"Huh? It's the… nineteenth, I think. Why're you asking?" Konoha prompted.

Sarukui blinked at the male slowly, before raising a hand. He used his fingers to count quietly to himself, and when he had to use his other hand and return to his first hand, Konoha quirked a brow. Sarukui then made a small noise of realization, and he looked up to the expectant blonde.

"It's been a little over two weeks," the monkey-faced male said. "So Komi and I win the bet. It's four-hundred yen."

Konoha blinked rapidly. Komi cried out in realization and sat up quickly to smirk up at the blonde. "Ah, that's right! Pay up, Jack!"

Konoha crossed his arms and jutted a lip out. "Wait, how do you know Akaashi hasn't realized his feelings? Did you ask? And don't fuckin' call me that!"

"…eh? Of course not. Will he answer if we ask?"

"Well duh. How else did you guys think we'd reach a conclusion?" Just then, Akaashi pushed open the door to their side of the second floor and approached their small group. "Oh, hey."

"We've finished on our side," Akaashi reported. "There are also some towels and clothes hanging outside, so please come help us there when you're done here. Also, Komi-san, Bokuto-san will find you eventually."

"G-geh- I know that!"

"Wait, Akaashi!" The boy paused, just as he was about to turn and leave. He looked to Konoha expectantly.

"What is it?"

While Komi and Sarukui looked at each other, unsure of how to phrase the question, Konoha merely propped his fists against his hips.

"Have you realized yet?" he asked bluntly. "Your feelings for Tsubasa-chan, I mean."

Akaashi's eyes widened slightly and immediately his face lit up. Consciously, he lifted a hand to the nape of his burning neck and averted his gaze. Komi and Sarukui blinked rapidly, gaping _just a little bit_ at his reaction. Konoha grinned.

"You-" Akaashi cleared his throat and moved his hand to cover his eyes. "You want me to say it out loud? I understand I've troubled you, but…"

"Say it. If you truly understood how much you troubled me, you'd blurt it out right now."

"…" Akaashi sighed gently. He lowered his hand and fiddled his fingers together in habit. Bravely, it seemed, he raised his eyes to Konoha. "I'm in love with her. Tsubasa-san, that is."

And Komi and Sarukui were fully gaping, with the libero melting into some sort of puddle of disbelief. With what seemed like motherly instinct, Sarukui raised his hands and gripped Akaashi's shoulders.

"Y-you're sure?" the monkey-faced male asked. "Love is- a little- serious, you know? Are you sure it's not a crush or something small like that?"

As embarrassed as Akaashi was, he nodded firmly. The gym lights above them had his eyes gleaming intensely. "Yes. I'm sure."

"W-when did you realize?!" Komi then questioned, forcing himself onto his feet. Akaashi hummed quietly.

"Last Wednesday," he answered. "When Miwa went missing."

And as Sarukui lowered his hands and stepped back beside Komi, Konoha smirked. The perceptive blonde turned to the two of them, almost haughtily.

"Last Wednesday, huh? So that's exactly two weeks." Konoha turned to the other two smugly. " _So~_ that's four-hundred yen for me~ I'll give ya 'till Monday to pay up."

Both Sarukui and Komi were quickly tutting themselves at the reality. While Komi rushed to escape the scene and vent his anger out through volleyball practice, Sarukui resumed hanging up the rest of the bibs. Akaashi blinked slowly at Konoha, who was know humming to himself in victory.

"I see," Akaashi said simply, deadpanning at the blonde. "So that's what the bet was."

"Yup~ Glad you've caught on." Konoha turned to him with a grin. "So what now?"

Akaashi blinked. "Pardon?"

"You gonna ask her out on a date? Confess? I know some nice places to take her to."

And again, Akaashi blinked. He averted his gaze. "I don't plan on doing anything."

The blonde paused. He stared intensely at the boy. "What? Why?"

"Bokuto-san has said many times that Tsubasa-san doesn't believe in feelings like love. Whether or not that's true right now, I can't deny that he thinks that way due to something that happened in the past. I'm not sure what happened, but I don't want to take any risky chances and lose her friendship. I'll… act when it's appropriate."

Konoha blinked at him slowly. He then sighed, almost in defeat. "Well, I guess that's fair. Just don't wait too long. You just might end up like Pain-in-the-ass-Kuroo."

At this, Akaashi tilted his head slightly. "Kuroo-san? What does he have to do with this?"

…ah. Konoha squinted at Akaashi harshly. "Man, you're just dense all around with this topic, aren't ya?" Before the boy could retort, Konoha crossed his arms. "He's in love with her too~"

Akaashi's eyes widened slightly. "Eh?"

"I doubt they're dating, but who knows? Maybe he'll be able to climb out of the friend-zone or something."

Ever so slightly, Akaashi's eyes narrowed at the comment. "That'd be-"

"Yosh~ we're done here," Sarukui unintentionally interrupted. The railing of the second floor was now completed with hanging bibs. "Let's get the rest of the laundry then hit the showers. I'm beat."

Konoha nodded and followed after the male, but not before sending some knowing grin towards Akaashi. Sighing, the second-year followed after them as well, his face still burning slightly.

 _That'd be troubling._

* * *

"Ah, finally! Bedtime!" Bokuto cheered as he crashed onto his back. Beneath him lay messy mounds of blankets and unorganized futons, all organized by a certain cat-man.

"Seriously? It's only nine-thirty," Kuroo said with a snicker. He tossed aside his towel and made himself comfortable beside Bokuto, before looking up as Tsubasa and Kenma entered the classroom. They both walked in with their faces buried in gaming devices. "Ah. Seriously, you two?"

"Shh this game is important!" Tsubasa replied, blindly kneeling to sit on the collection of fluffiness. She fell on her side as she curled up into some ball, with her head meeting Bokuto's stomach and her legs curling up over Kuroo's.

Kenma sat beside Kuroo with a tut. "Haku that's- that's cheating. Stop it. Don't be a spammer, it's annoying."

"Coming from the camper."

Ah. Kenma grumbled at the remark. As Kuroo had said, it was only nine-thirty at night; after-practice practice had wrapped up quickly when Akaashi figured enough was enough for the day. Dinnertime and shower-time went a little slower for the drained athletes – and somehow, it was a little tense; Akaashi and Kuroo found their eyes cautiously trained on one another the entire time. Kuroo seemed to be making some sort of point, maybe even a declaration of sorts, to the calm second-year; when Tsubasa served the setter a large portion of rice accompanied by a bright smile, Kuroo stood directly behind her with his chin resting atop her hair and his hazel eyes watching quietly. The physical distance between the two childhood friends, or the lack thereof, was more or less _really annoying_. All Akaashi could do was thank the girl for her hard work, and tell her he was glad that everything seemed to be getting better for her.

(Which resulted in good-guy points for the setter, which further seemed to make Kuroo look like the bad guy.)

((Which _then_ resulted in Akaashi faintly, but smugly grinning at the cat-captain, who could only glare back silently.))

(((Dinner was tense strictly because of those two.)))

But ultimately, the group of childhood friends were more than eager to gather for a night of nostalgia after freshening up. Video games, truth or dare, scary stories and regular stories were a must for the night.

Or at least, that's what they were all hoping for.

Somehow, the air was a little too heavy for a simple get-together – and it wasn't because of the newfound beef between Kuroo and Akaashi (Tsubasa and Bokuto barely noticed, and Kenma merely brushed it off by calling it dumb). Rather, it was a bit more… _personal_ than that. They all had a question pinned at the front of their mind, and it was a question that more or less had them on guard.

 _Are we all really on the same page?_

Kuroo relaxed onto his back with his palms beneath his head as the two continued gaming. His black locks were finally tamed after a long shower, much like Bokuto's and Tsubasa's hair. All of them were dressed down in shorts beneath shirts or sweaters, and anyone passing their classroom could only wonder if Tsubasa and Kenma would survive the night with the two testosterone-filled captains.

"I've noticed _someone_ gets along with the owls," Kuroo commented casually. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Especially Akaashi. You two seem really close." _And it's gross._

It was a topic he more or less wanted to avoid, not because it was in any way sensitive, but just because he didn't necessarily like the reality of it. In the past, making friends was more than difficult for the girl, so he admittedly felt a bit special considering that. Seeing her openly accepted was a new sight.

But even more than that, it was a new sight, seeing someone else fully in love with the girl. Kuroo thought the only person he'd seen who was in love with her was himself, staring back with pining eyes in his bathroom mirror. Akaashi's mere existence proved him wrong, however, and the warm words and tender gazes the setter offered to the girl were too much of a familiar sight. Kuroo nearly tutted at the thought of the boy.

Tsubasa smiled widely as she landed some lucky hit on Kenma's character. "Do you think so?" she asked in response. "They're all easy to get along with. I'm glad they don't idolize me like the rest of the school, and Keiji's like that too; he doesn't put me on some stupid pedestal."

Kuroo smirked down at her despite the annoyed twitch of his eyebrows. _Idiot. He practically worships you._ "Oh? Do you get called a youkai too? Kenma had a little problem with being called Sadako, you know."

Tsubasa perked up and looked to the setter. "Wait wha- ah! Kenma, that's cheap! Taking a low blow when I'm distracted!"

"Mm. It's your fault. Just don't get distracted."

"Jeez!"

"Tsubaka's known as the White-Haired Beauty!" Bokuto suddenly said, crossing his arms beneath his head. "Lots of guys in my class have a crush on her. They always ask me if she's gonna stop by during lunch!"

Kuroo blinked. "Eh. Seriously?" _It used to be White-Haired Freak back then._ He then deadpanned. "What happened to sleeping?"

"Geh… It's hard to when you guys are so loud!"

"But anyway, Kenma gets along well with his teammates too," Tsubasa said, continuing the conversation as she mashed the buttons on her PSP. "I was so surprised! I didn't think you could handle having another guy like Koutarou!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Kenma hummed simply. "Hm… You mean Tora, right? He's loud and obnoxious, and it's annoying, but he has good intentions. He's just an idiot."

"Heh~ Ah! Final stretch!"

And the gaming continued. While Bokuto gave some wide yawn beneath the futon covers, Kuroo found himself also reaching for the covers with drowsy tears in his eyes.

"So what're we doing for your birthday, Tsubaka?" he asked casually. His eyes closed peacefully at the familiar sound effects of their favorite video game. "Sleepover? Robbery? Trespassing?"

"Nothing."

Kuroo's eyes reopened immediately. Kenma, also taken by surprise at the answer, pursed his lips as his brief distraction cost him the game. Tsubasa released a relieved sigh and dropped her hands.

"Ah, finally!" she cheered. Beneath her head, Bokuto's stomach rose and fell appropriately with each of his drowsy breaths. "I didn't think I'd win with this character. The errant is hard to work with…"

"Haku, we're not doing anything for your birthday?" Kenma asked, lowering his PSP. "I wanted apple pie."

Tsubasa blinked at him and Kuroo. "I didn't tell you guys? My birthday's on a Monday this year, and I also have to work on that day; it'd be hard to do anything, especially sleepover since you two will have to leave for school."

"We can't skip school for one day?" Kuroo prompted, sitting up. "It's your birthday, after all. Skipping one day can't hurt. I wanted to blow something up."

"No can do~ I don't wanna be the reason you guys skip school; what if we get in trouble? Besides-" Tsubasa sat up as well so she could remove her glasses and put them off to the side alongside her PSP. "-starting this Monday, I'm gonna be taking care of Keiji's little sister after school. This is important!"

The two of them blinked. Just then, Bokuto grumbled and blindly grabbed the back of Tsubasa's sweater, where he yanked her back down to his chest for cuddles.

"You guys are too loud!" he whined, squeezing his eyes shut. "Sleep…"

Kuroo deadpanned at him. "Oi. We've got things to talk about."

"Haku, about that time you were sick last week," Kenma abruptly prompted. _She's strange._ "Are you better now?"

Tsubasa smiled and nodded. "Yeah! Truthfully, I wasn't down with a fever, but I'm all good now!"

Kuroo perked up. "Hm? Then what was it? You responded ten years late to my texts, so you better have been dying or something."

Somehow, Bokuto's sleepy grip on her was tightening. Tsubasa pursed her lips into a taut smile and closed her eyes.

"Just an anxiety attack." The two of them blinked slowly. "It's… almost routine."

The room was quiet. An abrupt change in atmosphere had the four of them stiffening in the cool air of the classroom. Kenma's irises gleamed with sharp observation as the muscles in Bokuto's arms tightened severely around the girl, and somehow, that little action had him more anxious than usual. The setter blinked slowly, trying to stomach the dizzying sensation in his gut.

" _Ha_ , wait, I'm sorry," Kuroo then said with some sarcastic smile. The grin quickly fell off his face as he leaned down to the girl. "But did you say, _just_ an anxiety attack?"

"Yeah, that's verbatim. Congrats."

" _You_ -" Kuroo stopped himself. He breathed slowly through his nose and counted to ten, while Kenma simply sat there staring at the girl intensely. "You can't say something like that casually, Tsubasa. That's a _serious_ thing. It should be said _seriously_."

"…okay, you're right. I'm sorry." She turned her face away from them, muffling her cheek against Bokuto's chest. "It's not easy keeping you guys updated, you know."

Kuroo squinted at her. "I literally told you I was worried; isn't that reason enough to tell me what's going on?"

Abruptly, Tsubasa was leaning on her hands and glaring back at him. "Well if fessing up was just that easy to do, then none of us would have anxiety problems!"

Their eyes widened at her. After the echoes of her cry died against the walls of the room, silence filled the moonlit atmosphere and cursed them all with some stinging pain in their guts. Their hearts thumped as a cloud covered the moon, briefly shrouding them in faint darkness. She blinked self-consciously, and her grey irises flickered.

 _Ah._

 _I snapped._

"S-sorry," Tsubasa murmured shakily, lowering her face in shame. Sluggishly, she crawled off of Bokuto to curl up beneath the blankets. He sat up in concern as the moonlight returned. "I- I mean that, but I didn't wanna say it like that…"

"…don't worry about it," Kuroo muttered in response. He leaned his elbows atop his knees and stared down at her form. Concern and pining were evident through the harsh glint of his hazel irises. Kenma anxiously twiddled his fingers.

A minute of tension passed. Suddenly, Tsubasa threw the covers off her face and turned onto her back. They watched as she grumbled and clenched her eyes shut, and as she tightly gripped the futon covers, she opened her mouth and quickly said aloud:

"After Tamotosu-nii-san died, I suffered a weird form of amnesia and forgot all of you; I regained most of my memories after the Kageyama family adopted me and helped me get back on my feet. My name is still Kageyama Tsubasa, it's not Hakurei. I ran into Koutarou's big brother a few weeks ago and have since been stressing over how to tell him that Tamotsu-nii-san killed himself- because h _ow do you do that in the first place_ – and so that stress piled up and I had an anxiety attack. _There_." She pulled the covers back over her head and turned onto her side. "Now we're all caught up."

…ah. Kuroo and Kenma more or less gaped at her, before the former sighed roughly and slapped his forehead. _She's trying. I have to at least acknowledge that._ Kenma, on the other hand, found his shoulders relaxing just a tad.

"Okay, okay, it's hard to get those things out, I understand," Kuroo said, massaging his eyelids. _What am I doing, cornering her like that?_ He groaned then as the information sunk in. "Geh… Yo-nii, huh? Wasn't he supposed to be leaving for some bigger university, Bokuto?"

"Heh? Ah-" Bokuto pursed his lips and scratched his head. _I didn't know she had amnesia…_ "Yeah he is. But ever since he found out about Tsubasa being back, he's been visiting home more often."

Kenma blinked slowly. _How did Tamo-nii kill himself?_ was what he wanted to ask, but instead, he settled for softly asking, "So that's why we're not doing anything for Haku's birthday?"

Bokuto nodded. "Yeah."

The girl was suppressing her tears beneath the covers. Tsubasa pursed her lips and clenched her eyes shut. _Just stop. I don't wanna think about this stuff here, Give me a break._

As if he sensed her thoughts, Kenma glanced down to her small form beneath the blankets. He then blinked slowly, finding himself growing drowsy despite how early it was. He set aside his PSP and crawled beneath the covers, right beside Tsubasa so that their backs pressed against one another. In doing so, he more or less shoved Kuroo to the outer futon.

"Oh, are we finally sleeping?!" Bokuto exclaimed. Before Kenma could answer, the owl was furrowing beneath the blankets to wrap Tsubasa in his embrace. Kuroo narrowed his eyes down at the three, wondering how they could just drop the subject like that.

He then felt the drama get overturned by something else as he noticed Kenma now occupying his spot.

"…why do you get to sleep next to her," Kuroo muttered beneath his breath. Despite that, he crawled into the covers as well beside Kenma, who simply huffed at him.

"Because you need to control yourself too," Kenma muttered back.

Ah. _Cockblocked by Kenma? Sheesh._ Kuroo forced his eyes to a close as he bid them all good night.

"…tch. G'night, dumbasses."

"Mm. Night."

"Night…"

"Good night!"

And despite the obvious upset in the atmosphere between them, they were all drifting off to sleep. As frustrated as they might have been with one another, nothing good would come of arguing senselessly and tiredly in the cool darkness.

Enough was enough for the night.

* * *

Konoha grumbled as a buzzing by his head stirred him awake. Groggily, he sat up with some atrocity of bedhead that was horrifying enough to combat Kuroo's, but thankfully it wasn't as visible in the morning dimness. He rubbed at his teary eyes before he looked down to his right; a simple black phone, recognized to be Akaashi's, was vibrating with some morning alarm. The blonde blinked at the time.

 _6:13 AM._

"Oi," he whispered, poking the futon above his. The form, hidden beneath the thick covers, stirred slightly. "Oi, 'Kaashi, your phone's going off with an alarm."

Ah. The old nickname slipped out. Akaashi mumbled back in response simply, seemingly too drowsy to respond properly. Konoha huffed a sleepy breath as he reached for the phone. He clicked the alarm off and retreated back beneath his covers.

And just as he was about to close his eyes and go back to sleep, he paused. He opened his eyes, blinked at the darkness, and squinted with scrutiny. _Wait._ His eyes widened.

Konoha sat up and tossed the futon cover aside, ultimately throwing it atop a snoring Komi beside him. He then leaned over Akaashi's futon and laid a hand on the mound, where he shook the boy quickly. When the blonde received no response, he gulped.

 _Don't tell me…_

Konoha pursed his lips as he carefully peeled the cover back, revealing Akaashi's face.

He then gawked as the boy's face appeared sweaty and flushed, with the faintest breaths leaving him in rapid succession. Eyes clenched tight with his fingers buried into his pillow, Konoha gaped at the obvious signs of a burning fever.

 _He's fuckin' sick!_

* * *

 **word count:** 8, 618

 **a/n:** OYA? DID ANYONE ASK FOR AN UPDATE?

So first, let me apologize, 'cause I am absolutely that piece of shit who waits to update on a friend's birthday. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

Anyone, here's the chapter, please don't hate me too much for the cliffhanger lol. Ummm so life updates!

After a January kinda filled with pain, I've discovered that what I'm studying in university isn't my passion, and I've come to make a real important decision for my life. So... In short, I'm withdrawing from this place, and in March, I'll be swamped with selling my appliances and furnitures, getting paper work filled out, and moving back home. I have lots of life things to do next month. So, I'll give you guys a fair warning, _**don't expect an update next month**_. I'm not gonna put this on hiatus though because I'll still be working on it, and I'll probably still be writing omakes.

So yeah, you guys can check the omakes to come for more updates. Also, sorry this chapter took a while! Besides wanting to update on a friend's birthday, I had trouble writing it because there were so many things I wanted to write about. I really wanted to focus on the coaches and the entire team getting back together while Tsubasa and them had their own reunion, and it was a little hard to balance that out so that it wasn't overbearing. Hopefully this is alright! I know this isn't a volleyball-centered fic, but it feels a little weird to not write about volleyball when everyone is so volleyball-involved.

BUT THAT'S THAT. Hope everyone's doing well, hope you're all happy and safe and eating and sleeping well and just taking care of yourselves, because that's important! Can't believe there are almost 50 followers for this, so as always, thanks for the love and support and everything in general; I love you guys and I love communicating with you all! See you guys in the next update!

-glasses cloth


	17. 17

**17 somehow it's you somehow it's peaceful somehow somehow somehow**

" _Hurry hurry, Tsubasa! We're almost late!"_

" _L-Late for what?! K-Koutarou, it's in the middle of the night! What if mama-"_

 _The thick shrubbery cut the girl off. Hastily sifting through some towering field of grass and weeds, Tsubasa squinted her eyes to a close as she and Koutarou pushed through the greenery. It was only when the girl tripped and landed on a flattened area did the boy look back at her._

" _Look, look, Tsubasa! C'mon, stand up!"_

 _Grumbling in annoyance, the little girl stood shakily and patted down her grass-stained nightgown. Finally, Tsubasa took notice of what seemed to be warm golden light painting her existence, and curiously, she looked up. Her eyes twinkled in awe at the flashlights that brightened the area around her, where a red and white checkered blanket sat atop a flattened area of the otherwise spiky field. In the middle of it all, surrounded by her three friends, was a box of cupcakes and a pile of wrapped boxes._

" _Happy birthday, Tsubasa!" Koutarou finally exclaimed, pulling out some paper horn from his pocket and blowing it obnoxiously._

 _Kenma winced at the loud noise, but nodded at the girl anyway. "Happy birthday, Haku."_

 _Finally, Tetsurou stepped up to the girl with one of the boxes – the biggest of the pile – in his hands. He crinkled his nose teasingly at the girl. "Late to your own birthday party? Rude!" To betray his offended remarks, the young boy grinned gently and pressed the box into her arms. "Happy birthday, Tsubasa."_

 _And all the girl could do was blink slowly at her best friends. Amidst the stress of her violin lessons and upcoming music competitions, the girl had completely forgotten that her eighth birthday was just within reach. Now that she was there, however, in that field of weeds by the river, everything precious to her came flooding into her existence, only to exit as crystalline drops streaking down her face._

 _Immediately, the boys panicked upon seeing their girl crying rather than boasting about her new age, but they composed themselves when she smiled some wide, toothy grin and yelled her thanks._

 _So the midnight of May 21st proceeded with smears of cupcake frosting and the careful tearing of messy gift-wrappings, and just like that, the rest of the world was unimportant._

* * *

"Bokuto, it's your ball!"

"E-Eh?! D-Dammit!"

And the ball was smacked right into the net. Bokuto landed with a clumsy thump as he watched the ball bounce on the owls' side of the court. Such an ending had him sinking to his knees and pulling at his hair, crying apologies to both his teammates and the ones that were currently missing.

"E-Everyone, I'm sorry! Tsubasa, Akaashi- _I'm sorry_!"

Ah. The owls frowned slightly at his cry, with the cats sighing simply to themselves. Quickly, Coach Yamiji called a time-out so that his team could try to get their ace back into shape. Everyone knew, however, that that would be a lot harder with _those two_ missing.

When Konoha had awoken early that morning, he had found Akaashi stirring restlessly beneath his futon cover. Broken by a cold sweat with contrastingly-steaming cheeks, it was evident that the strong and sturdy vice-captain was down with a fever – a fever of 38.6 Celsius. Such a high temperature had nearly everyone predicting the end of the world, and those with just a little bit of sense ended up giving somewhat reasonable directions.

 _As such_ , Akaashi, at the moment, was at home – a fact that Kuroo almost laughed at in victory. No owl vice-captain meant a weakened team, a dejected Bokuto, some wins here and there, and enough opportunities for the cat to linger over and around a certain white-haired girl in hopes of patching things up. As awful as it sounded, Kuroo was more than eager to a day without the owl vice-captain.

Until he learned that Tsubasa went home _with_ the sickly boy with the purpose of nursing him back to full health. Such a thing most likely meant tucking him in and out of bed, going grocery shopping and returning to his home, maybe even preparing the bath - and being _domestic_ in _every_ _damn_ sense of the word.

For _Akaashi_.

Which was already an infuriating idea – but the fact that Tsubasa was _more_ than eager to take care of him and bring him back intip-top shape had Kuroo's hair sticking up more than usual. She was always the one getting sick, and as far as Kuroo knew, she had never really been on the healthier end of the stick; it would serve as no surprise if the girl ended up in bed as well.

(The girl was obviously trying to avoid Kuroo, and it was so obvious that even Bokuto was cringing.)

((And naturally her avoidance was hurtful, but probably what hurt most was the fact that Kuroo himself never had Tsubasa take care of him before.))

(((He was jealous.)))

It was now nine in the morning; Tsubasa and Akaashi had left at seven (Bokuto, who had carried the sick boy home, protested and worried the entire trip) and as far as everyone knew, the girl truly was there taking care of him. Kuroo tutted to himself with a burning mixture of irritation and insecurity, and he turned away from the owls in frustration.

 _Ah, I don't like this._

With the owls, Konoha smiled shakily as he patted Bokuto's back and offered distracted words of comfort. _Ah… Of course Akaashi fell sick. Pressure from school, club, family, and then suddenly, he's in love. I guess anyone would get sick from all that._

Similarly, Sarukui thought to himself, _Even Akaashi's human. To think that we're his senpai and we completely overlooked that fact is a little… shameful._

And to top it all off, Komi laughed uneasily as he weakly punched encouragement and support into Bokuto's bulk. _Man, this is kinda our fault. We were having too much fun. Sorry, Akaashi!_

…ah. Those three were bowed their heads dejectedly, prompting Washio to look to them.

"Oi, chins up," the sturdy middle blocker said. The three of them glanced up in surprise. "This is your guys' faults. You better own up to it. I'll be sure to report how we do today to Akaashi when he gets better."

Almost immediately, Komi and Konoha were bristling on the spot, and they began patting Bokuto's back harder and at a quicker pace - so much that the ace yelped from their abusive support.

"We don't need you to tell us that, Washi Tape!" Komi hissed with childish anger. "We're _men_! We own up just fine on our own!"

"That's right!" Konoha yelled. "We don't need Akaashi either- I'm good enough to take his place for now! Right, Saru?!"

The monkey-faced male deadpanned at the two. "No. You're a giant child. The both of you."

" _What was that_?!"

And they both sent Bokuto flying with a synchronized slam into his back, and awkwardly, they all blinked at each other. As Sarukui went to helping the dazed ace back onto his feet, Konoha coughed into his fist clumsily.

"Right, so we're owning up to our mistakes," the blonde said, just as the whistle blew and they were reentering the court. "Let's make today a good one! I don't want Akaashi kicking my ass when he's back!"

And the lot of them were cheering on their agreements as they got into position.

"Osu!"

* * *

 _He really looks like his mother,_ was her main thought.

The Akaashi household was a simple two-story house of pale blue walls, dreamy white curtains, and nostalgic picture frames. Soft birch floorboards accompanied everything in between in delicate coordination, and the scent of lavender was fresh. The morning was beginning to fade away as time entered the ten-in-the-morning range; Tsubasa had made already breakfast for the Akaashi siblings (in which both Miwa and Isao competed to see who could help Tsubasa the most), and as such, those two were lazing about in the living room with their homework.

(Initially they were trying to see who could complete their work first, but somehow, it evolved into a contest to see who could craft the best paper crane out of their papers.)

((Considering the group of five perfectly-folded paper cranes, Miwa was in the lead.))

Anyway, this left Tsubasa tending to Akaashi, whom Isao had changed out of his sweaty clothes and into something cleaner. As for Tsubasa, she was more or less still in her pajamas; her hair was unbound and she wore the same navy sweater from last night, while she traded her shorts for the club's jersey pants. She almost wished she had kept her shorts; somehow, everything felt suffocating.

Regardless of personal feelings, Tsubasa sat on the edge of Akaashi's bed where she was currently taking his temperature. With the thermometer stuck in his armpit, the girl couldn't help but snicker at how his room seemed oddly _him_. Being big enough to make room for what was essential, the blue walls accentuated the dark navy curtains and bed-set. A volleyball was pushed off into the corner alongside some dumbbells, while a desk sat pushed against the wall between his closet and nightstand. Its simplicity and essence for necessity was oddly endearing. The thermometer beeped.

 _38.3,_ was the new temperature. It had the girl grinning crookedly as she broke into a nervous sweat. _Well, that's three degrees lower. Better than nothing, I guess._

Ah. The girl groaned and threw her head back to cry aloud, "Keiji, hurry up and get better!" She then fell forward and face-planted into his blankets. "I want your comfort…"

…ah. And there was the truth. Truth be told, she didn't want to be at the gym anymore – not after that _discussion_ from last night. Snapping at her childhood friends was one thing, but then forcing herself to come out with all of _that_ was another thing. In short, she was tired. Too tired to deal with people demanding things of her, too tired of having to explain herself. It seemed to her that the sickly boy right next to her was the only one who gave her the time she needed to get herself together, and although he was down with something as dumb as a fever, she still found comfort in his presence.

Tsubasa huffed and shifted onto her left cheek so that she could stare at him; through her own wispy locks, she pouted at his flushed face, but ultimately, the childish expression crumbled to make way for a concerned frown. _Keiji doesn't seem like the type to get sick when it's almost summer._

Tsubasa scooted closer to him and brushed her knuckles against his cheek. Akaashi mumbled once more. _Sheesh. What's so heavy upon your shoulders that it's got you down like this? Idiot. Only idiots get sick._

 _I wanna talk with you. You always say the right things, unlike that idiot Tetsurou. Jeez…_

And she dropped her arm to rest it across his chest, figuring that she might as well take advantage of the situation when she could. She liked hugs. Hugs were nice. Nice and comforting when words could not be exchanged.

 _It's not fun seeing you like this._

"Mm… Sorry…"

Tsubasa blinked. She sat up quickly to get a better look at his face. Seeing nothing different or out of place, she frowned in confusion.

"Keiji?" the girl prompted gently, now moving to poke his face. She chortled. _Squishy._

He grumbled back in response. Tsubasa smiled as his head nodded towards her, as he had been facing the left where the wall and window was. She then blinked – once, twice, three times, and a fourth.

 _He's crying._

"Hn… Miss you…" he uttered, so softly that the girl's ears strained. Tsubasa observed the lone tear rolling down his cheek. "Mum…" She froze.

 _Ah._

 _He misses his mom._

And for many minutes, she sat there. Silent. Contemplative. Maybe even troubled. _Does he dream of his mother often?_ She was troubled. _If not, then it'd be mean of me to wake him._ Tsubasa watched his face for more tears, and when she found them coming once again, she lifted her hand. _I don't wanna take this from him._ A feather-light touch had the tears gone, and she smiled slightly.

 _I bet his mother was lovely._

* * *

" _Keiji, what are you dreaming of?"_

 _The little boy perked up as a hand caressed his cheek. He was caught beneath his home's bay window overlooking the ocean churn in the distance. A somewhat grey day called for pouting clouds and whiny waves, but despite the obvious gloom – and despite his obvious cold – he smiled. His mother joined him on the white cushions, where she wrapped his small body up in a grey blanket._

" _You're sick, my love," she said softly, hugging him to her chest. "You should be in bed."_

" _Sorry, mum," the boy responded as they began watching the ocean together. "And you're wrong. I'm not dreaming of anything. I'm awake right now."_

" _Oh, but my love, you could be daydreaming. Surely that is what I meant."_

" _Oh, surely? Then…" Keiji smiled as he turned to his mother. "I was daydreaming of my new sibling."_

 _The woman, known as Akaashi Ishiko, smiled widely. Her deep blue eyes gleamed with excitement and she hugged her first child even tighter. "Ah, what a wonderful thing to daydream about. You and Isao must be excited, yes? Perhaps the newest Akaashi will be a girl this time. What shall we name them, my love?"_

" _I-I can help pick a name?! Ah-" Keiji leaned back from his mother and pulled his shirt over his face, where he sneezed abruptly. Sniffling with a pout, the boy grumbled at his little cold. "Mm…"_

 _Ishiko laughed gently at the boy and leaned down to press a loving kiss against his crown. She then stood with her hands outstretched, prompting the boy to reach for her._

" _Come, my love. Let's get you back to bed. When you're better, we can talk about names, okay?"_

 _Keiji nodded eagerly at that, just as he grasped the tips of her fingers. Dropping off the white cushions and onto his feet, Keiji stumbled as suddenly he was looming over the woman that was his mother – or perhaps, she was someone else. He blinked slowly. Curiously._

"Keiji?"

 _His hand, larger than he last remembered, reached for the woman with the purest of intentions. Gently, Keiji secured a long lock of white hair between his fingertips, and he squinted to find the woman's face._

 _And he smiled when he found his mother staring back at him, just as loving as he had last seen her._

" _Mum,"_ he murmured dreamily, drowsily. _"When… did your hair get so white? Ah…" And he lifted the ends of her hair up to his lips,_ kissing them delicately before releasing them. "How beautiful…"

 _Ba-thump._

Tsubasa blinked dumbly. She gave her chest a weak pat, wondering what her heart was doing.

The door opened then, revealing Isao as he straightened out his shirt. "Yosh, I'm ready~" The boy blinked at Tsubasa, who stood abruptly with a small gasp. "What's up, nee-chan? Is nii-chan worse?"

The girl shook her head. She smiled. "No, no. He's just… talking in his sleep, I guess. But his temperature is steadily going down. Let's get going."

And they were exiting the room. Lunchtime had just passed with a simple pot of curry, and with the refrigerator basically empty, Tsubasa and Isao were off to go grocery shopping for dinnertime. Miwa, having eagerly stuffed herself with the curry, was out cold in her bedroom with the family dog, thus leaving the two teenagers to leave the house peacefully. The journey out of the neighborhood was filled with a light chatter that washed away the anxiety caused by Akaashi's sudden fever.

"I was just wondering, Isao," Tsubasa said suddenly, turning to the boy curiously. Ever so slightly, her cheeks went taut with caution. "Is that beautiful woman in your family photos your guys' mother? I kinda just assumed..."

Immediately, the young boy nodded enthusiastically, his smile as wide as the sky above him. "Yeah, that's right! Mum was super beautiful! Miwa and nii-chan really take after her!"

Tsubasa's smile relaxed. "Yeah, they really do."

"Right~? They've got her curly blue hair and eye color. And then here I am, mostly taking after our dad." The boy pouted. "What a pain."

The girl giggled before she reached up to poke his cheek. "But from what I can see, you've got the shape of your mom's eyes. Very round and curious, just like Miwa. Keiji's got sharper eyes, you know?"

At that, Isao blinked. His vast smile broke out once more as he nodded. "That's right!" The boy then proceeded to unknowingly ruin the mood. "Nee-chan, what about you? Do you look like your mom at all?"

Ah. Tsubasa's smile went taut as she quickly turned to him, her eyes closed shut as she hastily shook her head. " _Nope_. Not at all. I take after my father _completely_."

"Is that so? That's cool too!"

As Isao went on about how his class was coincidentally learning about the workings of genetics and inherited traits, the girl was grinning darkly beside her internal demons.

 _As if anyone would want to look like that woman._

Upon making it to the supermarket, the two of them split up so that they could make it back home quicker. While Isao went off to the meat section, the girl strode towards the produce area of the store. It wasn't busy, considering how they were quite a few hours away from dinnertime, and for that, the girl was thankful. She never fared well against stressed mothers fighting to get the last cabbage during the rush hour sales just five minutes before closing.

"Miwa-chan doesn't seem to like normal potatoes…" Tsubasa murmured thoughtfully as she looked around the vegetable-filled section. Tsubasa smiled as she gathered the needed vegetables, and she turned to meet up with Isao.

She yelped as she rammed into a person.

"Oh, excuse-" She paused.

Yousuke blinked down at her. She blinked back.

…ah.

And without a second thought, she turned on her heel to speed away from the young man, only for him to latch onto her hair (she knew she should have knotted it up in a bun).

"Geez- would you fuckin'-" Tsubasa yelped as the older Bokuto pulled her back, slapping his large palms around her cheeks and tilting her face back. "-stop running?!"

"Run- _running_?!" Tsubasa swatted her fists wildly, only for the male to dodge them swiftly. "Who's running? I'm not running! _You're_ running!"

"Yeah, running out of _patience_! Look-" Trapping her in a headlock, Yousuke reached into his pocket and fished out some small box. He dropped it into her grocery basket before releasing her, spinning on his heel to huff an annoyed breath. "Stubborn brat! Sheesh…"

Tsubasa gawked as the young man stalked off after that, muttering profanities beneath his breath while he disappeared into the snack aisle. She quickly pulled herself together to gaze into her grocery basket, and seeing the small box haphazardly rolled in birthday wrapping sent her into shock. A rush of guilt immediately flooded her mind and quickly, almost desperately, the girl looked up in search of the young man she had been painfully avoiding.

She then sighed, confused and defeated, and turned back to the vegetables at her side.

 _I really am the only one running away._

* * *

"What do you think Tsubasa's up to right now?"

Kuroo paused. With both teams sprawled along the cool wood of the gym floors during break, the cat captain was just a few seconds away from chugging his water down before Bokuto plopped down next to him. Almost indifferently, Kuroo shrugged.

"You tell me. Don't you have some crazy ESP when it comes to her?"

"G-Geh- well-" Bokuto grumbled as he pressed his elbows atop his knees. "When Tsubasa's with Akaashi, I can't really read her."

Kuroo perked up. "Oya? What do you mean?"

"She just- she's different around him!" the male then exclaimed, flaying his hands out in exasperation. "It's like- yeah, she acts the same and talks the same as if she's with us, but- but somehow the face she makes with Akaashi is… different. Like she's more relaxed." Almost immediately, Bokuto's gaze narrowed with agitated confusion. "But why would she be more relaxed with him? It's not like he knows her like I do…. If anything, that should make it harder for them to get along, right?!"

Hazel irises flitted away. _She's probably more relaxed because he doesn't know the things we do – he probably doesn't even ask her or push her to tell him anything. Damn it._

 _I still can't believe I pushed her like that last night._

"Oi, Kuroo…" Bokuto drawled suddenly, leaning over his elbows to peer at the other male's darkened face. "You're gonna apologize to her, right? For last night?"

Kuroo frowned and leaned back on his palms. "Pft, of course. Even I know when to suck up my pride and apologize."

"Why'd you push her anyway? I mean, it's nice we're all caught up and everything, but…"

"I just-" _Care too fucking much._ "I just want her to rely on me. As a friend."

"…hm. Hey, Kuroo."

"What?"

"If Akaashi had lovey feelings for Tsubasa, what should we do?" Kuroo's heart thumped, some Bokuto's innocent-self was completely oblivious to. "'Cause she doesn't really believe in things like that, you know? She says it's fake."

And the second-hand rejection was enough to remind the young man of his place was in life – certainly not next to the girl he loved no matter how much he cared. Kuroo huffed and collapsed onto his back, with one arm folding over his stomach while the other shielded his face.

"Then she should break his heart and tell him that."

 _Yeah. Break his heart, just like mine._

* * *

It was eleven-thirty at night.

Tsubasa left the Akaashi household after dinner, as promised. While Miwa begged the older girl to spend the night with her and maybe help with all the homework she folded into origami, Tsubasa had no choice but to respectfully decline; she had both school and work tomorrow, and considering the stress on her mind due to certain events, she needed some time to herself before she dealt with anything else. As such, the white-haired girl was situated in the workshop behind her music store.

Her workshop, which had made its appearances before in the past, was located in a backyard-like area that accompanied the entirety of Powder. It was fenced in by black, metal bars that had vines and other shrubbery for natural decoration, ultimately completing the unique appearance Powder had in the first place. The workshop was truthfully a large, wooden toolshed that more or less served as the home away from home, and resting there now, in the late hours of May 20, was Tsubasa.

At the moment, she was sprawled out on some rickety leather couch that nearly blocked off the entrance to the shed, still clad in her clothes from the day. While the fairy lights keep the entire shed warmly lit, the interior was messy beyond belief, with unfinished journals and sheet music obscuring the floor. A counter supported the back wall of the shed, and while the occasional block of wood or collection of woodchips decorated the countertop, the actual wall where mysterious tools and supplies hung was covered by some raggedy cloth.

If one bothered to look closely, they could see the faint shape of violins trying to break through the cloth. Unbothered by the history all around her, Tsubasa tossed a small box up into the air to catch, before repeating the process with some distant gaze.

 _Yousuke-san looks well, huh?_

She caught the box and turned it over between her fingers, before tossing it once more.

 _I guess he would since he doesn't know anything. But then, why would he be so angry at me? I've only truly ran away from him once- or I guess, twice today. But that's not really reason to get so angry, right?_

 _Maybe he already knows._

The box slipped past Tsubasa's fingertips and dropped onto her forehead. With pursed lips, the girl lowered the small box and finally moved to sit up. Leaning against the rugged arm of the couch, Tsubasa carefully pulled the colorful but messy gift wrap away, where she proceeded to lift the lid of the box. Her eyes caught a number of words written inside the lid.

' _for ur stupid hair. happy birthday. come over tomorrow for dinner, fam wants to see u. dumbass._

 _love, yo-nii.'_

Tsubasa's eyes were immediately watering. Inside the box amidst a silky white cushion was a collection of black hair-ties. Inspecting one curiously, Tsubasa found they were stretchy enough to accommodate for her thick hair, and strong enough to hold it up. In short, it was a box of normal hair-ties. Tsubasa gazed at the small mundane thing with a look of surprise, before she ultimately giggled and slapped her forehead.

"It's exactly the same as every other hair-tie I have," the girl laughed as she held the box close to her heart.

 _Yo-nii's such a jerk,_ she thought lovingly. Quickly, Tsubasa pulled her hair into a low-lying ponytail, where she relished in the feeling of having her hair tied up. After having her hair down for the entire day, it brought her relief to finally have the long, heavy locks up in place, even more so with Yousuke's gift. Stupidly, she smiled to herself and leaned back against the couch, with the box of remaining hair-ties placed safely on the table in front of her.

 _I'll go face him the next time we meet._

And then a rapid succession of knocks sounded against the toolshed's door. Tsubasa yelped in surprise as she looked down to where the door was. Before she could shout a reply, a muffled _pardon my intrusion_ could be heard, and before she knew it, the door was opening quickly. Her eyes widened.

Akaashi stood there, at the entrance to her workshop, with the slightest breathy pants. His dark hair looked messier than usual, and he was clad in the clothes Isao had shoved him into before Tsubasa left their home. A face mask obscured his neck, and he huffed tiredly with the obvious signs of a lingering fever. His shoulders heaved heavily and he lowered his head. Tsubasa's lips parted slightly at the sight of the boy.

 _Keiji?_

"What-" Tsubasa tripped running toward the boy, reaching a hand out to check his temperature. " _What_ are you doing here?! Keiji, you're still sick-"

He grabbed her hand and held it securely. Tsubasa blinked at the burst of warmth that was born from the physical contact, and she paused. _Eh?_

Before she could question her feelings more, Akaashi sighed roughly and slouched. He sniffled as he panted. "S-Sorry- give me a second…"

Ah. Tsubasa's eyes twitched at his haggard voice. "See?! You're still sick! Go home-"

"I know-" Another heavy breath, and he continued. "I know I'm not… Bokuto-san, or Kuroo-san or Kozume, but…" Tsubasa's eyes widened slightly as Akaashi lifted his face, revealing to her his own trouble expression of shiny irises and the slightest frown. "But you told me that you'd like to spend your birthday with someone- _anyone_. Knowing that, how can I possibly leave you alone? Sick or not, such a thing in unacceptable."

Tsubasa was gaping, her eyebrows ascending and jaw unhinging in pure disbelief. How was it that this boy she'd only known for a few months was pushing himself beyond his limits for a kid like her, swathed in selfishness and desperation? How lucky she must have been to have found Akaashi's existence in those dark times of hers, to have his companionship to – _companionship?_

The girl blinked. Her heart thumped annoyingly within her ears.

 _Somehow…_

 _It feels different._

And then all too abruptly, she snapped out of it with an embarrassing flash of red. Her ears tingled with bashful hues and she slapped the boy's shoulder, ultimately smiling and giggling to herself.

"Wha- that's so embarrassing to say out loud!" she cried, finally hiding her burning face in her hands. "Y-You didn't need to do that! I'm- I'm fine…"

"I made you birthday korokke," he then informed her, completely disregarding her blatant lie. Tsubasa, still grinning stupidly, narrowed her eyes at him through her fingers.

"Really? But you're sick."

"I can manage many things when I'm sick." He almost sounded smug. Tsubasa huffed.

 _Why is it Keiji, and not Koutarou or Kenma or Tetsurou?_

The question had her batting her eyelashes curiously. Was she suddenly hurt with the realization, or relieved? Her wide smile twitched. With her hands falling and her fingers pulling at each other, she mumbled in return, "Is… it time already?"

Akaashi looked up to the ticking clock on the wall. The time read 11:54.

"Not yet; six more minutes left."

Tsubasa hummed simply. The tension within her heart slowly eased up as the situation began to ease itself into her mind. Ever so slowly, thoughts of Kuroo and the other two melted away to be replaced with the boy in front of her. _It really is Keiji._

 _Somehow... I don't feel upset._

 _11:55 PM._

A gentle tug of her hair had the girl back in reality. Akaashi patted her head softly, almost as if apologizing for pulling on her angelic locks.

"Can I set up your present?"

The girl blinked up at him. "H-Huh? Set up? Wait, you got me something?"

"Of course. It'll only take a minute or so."

"U-Um, sure, I guess…"

And he smiled. Tsubasa blanked out (at the grin) as he gently took her hands from behind him and held them tenderly. He then led her over to the couch, where she sat quietly. He gazed at her with a look of inquiry.

 _11:56 PM._

"Tsubasa-san, you're not afraid of the dark, are you?"

"Eh? Ah- no. Not anymore."

His grin returned quickly. "Then, please close your eyes and wait patiently."

Tsubasa's eyelids fluttered at the request, before she followed through without a fight. Had it been Kuroo or Bokuto asking her to do that, she'd have sparked some verbal argument just for kicks, but with Akaashi, the girl found herself wanting to keep the peace. Still, she slapped her hands over her eyes when her face began to burn with the thoughts.

 _11:57 PM._

A rustle of plastic had the girl's ears twitching. She immediately caught the sound of gentle thumps atop the small, square table in front of her, and anxiously, she squirmed on the spot. She heard a trail of familiar footsteps then echo around her workshop. An odd feeling, tingly and gently-explosive, erupted in her stomach. Tsubasa pursed her lips.

 _Somehow... I kinda feel nervous._

 _11:58 PM._

She wriggled on the spot anxiously. If there was a shift in the atmosphere, it seemed as though Tsubasa was the only one to take notice. The previous air was warm and fuzzy, like it usually was between the two, but somehow…

Somehow, it seemed slightly more intimate than usual.

The darkness then seemed darker and heavier in that quick minute. It also felt colder, and all the girl could do was assume the boy had unplugged her lights. She heard his footsteps returning to her.

 _11:59 PM._

And then, as if it were magic, all the warmth in world was right in front of her. The faintest blue glow poked through the spaces between her fingers to tickle her eyelids. Akaashi's voice reached out to her as the lightest weight rested atop her thighs.

"Tsubasa-san?" he prompted gingerly. She gulped as she felt him gently grip her wrists to lower her hands.

"Y-Yes?"

"Open your eyes."

And so she did.

As she had guessed, Akaashi had unplugged all of her fairy lights, but everything after that was beyond her knowledge. He kneeled before her on one knee while the other leg squatted, with his hands tenderly cradling hers and guiding them to the small weight on her lap. After tearing her gaze away from Akaashi's irises, which were impossibly bright in the darkness, she lowered her gaze to her lap.

Her eyes widened.

 _12:00 AM._

"Happy birthday," Akaashi breathed airily, "Tsubasa."

It appeared to be a lamp, cylindrical in shape and weighing virtually nothing. Paper - or perhaps it was some thin, light-weight cloth - wrapped around the plastic cylinder from the inside where the light bulb presumably sat in the middle of it all. What was most alluring were the little shapes cut into the fabric, allowing the soft, yet gleaming azure light to stream through. Akaashi's voice reached out to her.

"Look up."

And she did. A breath of awe immediately left her as she found projections of stars and sea animals swimming around them to illuminate the darkness. Tsubasa's irises brightened alongside their underwater universe, and a wide, genuine grin once again broke her face. She excitedly looked down to Akaashi and gripped his wrists, tugging on him energetically before looking back up.

"Keiji it's the ocean! _It's the ocean_!"

He smiled, his eyes squinting slightly due to the action. "Yeah. It's the ocean."

"It- it really-" She looked back to him.

And she froze.

Tsubasa's beaming smile faded gradually as their gazes locked with each other easily, as if it were natural. The glittering blue light engulfing them had the boy before her illuminated in a special light - a different kind of light. The extravagant shades of blue twinkled playfully in his irises, further accentuating the wavy locks of his dark hair as they glinted like real tidal waves. Tsubasa's heart beat stuttered.

 _He looks like the ocean._

And ever so slightly, a lovely scribble of pink decorated her cheeks. Tsubasa blinked once more, even slower than the last.

 _Huh?_

"Tsubasa-san?"

She blinked dumbly. Akaashi frowned worriedly at her sudden silence, and obliviously leaning closer, he waved a hand in her face. The girl stilled.

 _Oh._

 _He's really close._

"Are you okay?" Akaashi prompted, sitting back on his heels. Tsubasa nearly sighed in relief at the space, but found herself also missing the lack of it. "Perhaps… Did I get you sick?"

She sputtered. "H-Huh? Oh- no, not at all! I'm just… hungry."

Akaashi smiled slightly. "Well, good thing I made sweet potato korokke too."

"C-Can we eat them now?"

"Of course."

Akaashi turned to retrieve the bento box he had filled with the girl's favorite food, as it sat atop the small table behind him. With his back turned to her, she shook her head rapidly to rid whatever unknown feelings were currently poking her heart, and just like that, she was back to her energetic self. She perked up when Akaashi handed the bento box to her.

"Keiji, push the table back!" she said, securing the bento and lamp atop her lap and pointing a finger.

Akaashi did so curiously, just as the girl leaned back into the loveseat to make herself comfortable. She then patted the spot next to her violently while gazing at the male expectantly, and with the quietest chuckle, he sat beside her. Tsubasa pressed the back of her head into the cushions.

"Ready?"

Akaashi blinked at her. "For wha- ah!"

The male suddenly found himself staring up at the illuminated ceiling as the loveseat leaned back abruptly. Tsubasa had pulled a lever on the outside of the sofa to set it in its reclining position, ultimately throwing the two of them onto their backs. Before they could grin at each other however, something like gears clashing sounded beneath them.

Suddenly, they were leaning back even more as the arms and cushions of the loveseat relaxed in a way they weren't supposed to. Surprised yelps escaped them as the back of the loveseat fell against the ground, tossing their legs into the air.

"Did it break?" Akaashi prompted, propping himself up on one elbow. He blinked as Tsubasa laughed aloud, holding the lamp high over her head.

"This is the best!" she exclaimed with a giggle. "It's like a bed now!"

Akaashi, despite the furious blush atop his cheeks, grinned at the girl. "That's true."

Tsubasa beamed at his agreement before scooting closer to him just a little bit. Laying on her stomach, she reached up so she could set the ocean-themed lamp above their heads on the dusty wooden floorboards, while Akaashi took the bento and removed the lid. As soon as they both settled onto their backs, Akaashi allowed the girl the first piece of korokke, before taking the second piece for himself.

"Uwah! These are good!" Tsubasa exclaimed as she finished the first piece. "I didn't know you knew how to make these," she then said as she reached for another.

Akaashi licked his fingertips clean before reaching again as well. "I asked Masumi-san for the recipe. Miwa doesn't like normal potatoes, but she likes sweet potatoes so I figured the recipe would come in handy."

"She has good tastes then!"

And the two of them were leaning back to enjoy their third piece of korokke. Their eyes rested above them where shapes of whales and comets swam over their heads. The atmosphere was thick and heavy, but not with anything tense or foreboding. It was a giant blanket, woven quickly but delicately with the threads of growth and tender warmth. Such a feeling had sleep prodding at their systems, and they smiled softly.

"It's beautiful," Tsubasa murmured, her eyes gently becoming lidded. Akaashi nodded.

"It is." _Not as much as you are, though._

"Where did you get it? And how much did it cost you?"

Akaashi's grin broadened. "It didn't cost me anything. It was a gift from my mother that I had stored away for years. I found it while I was cleaning some time ago and thought you might like it."

Tsubasa perked up at the information, and she turned to him quickly. "Really? You're okay with me having this?"

He turned his head as well so that he could nod while looking directly into her eyes. "Yes. There's no one else I want to have this."

And before she could protest, he returned his gaze up to the underwater cosmos above them. Well-deserved and long-sought peace completely blanketed their souls at that moment, and eventually, they found their hands resting on their stomachs as they gazed into their universe. Akaashi yawned sleepily as time continued on with a comfortable period of silence. When Tsubasa finally took notice of the quiet between them, she curiously turned her head to where the boy was.

 _Ah,_ she thought, eyeing the soft rise and fall of Akaashi's chest. _He's sleeping._

Tsubasa carefully rolled onto her side so that she could watch the boy closer. Her irises followed the curve of his cheeks to the sharp angle of his jaw, where she found her eyes captured by the playful flow of his hair. Her gaze eventually rested on his eyes, slightly baggy from exhaustion, but nonetheless closed peacefully. Tsubasa felt her eyelids growing heavier as she matched Akaashi's breathing.

 _Hm…_

 _It's warm._

* * *

It was five minutes past twelve in the morning.

Standing outside of the apparently-empty apartment was Kuroo, who had been knocking on the door rhythmically for the past ten minutes or so. There was no response. The group chat that consisted of him and the other childhood friends continued buzzing noisily in his pocket as Bokuto texted out every character of _Happy Birthday_ into the chat, with Kenma interjecting to tell him to stop. Tsubasa had yet to make an appearance in the chat.

Kuroo held his breath, before he slowly lowered his fist. He leaned his forehead against the cool door. _I don't think she's ever really been mad at me. No wonder this sucks so much._

He took another minute for himself, before he took a deep breath, turned on his heel, and moved to descend the staircase. He shoved his hands into his pockets, only to wince slightly as the corner of a small box scraped against his fingers. Kuroo then rolled his eyes and continued on, trying to shove the present into the back of his mind. That was enough pain and heartbreak for one weekend.

His knuckles were red from knocking.

* * *

 **word count:** 6,969

 **the longest a/n ever:**

oh. my god. oH. mY GOD? HELLO? HI GUYS ITS ME, YA GURL, GLASSES CLOTH. WHAT IS UP. HOOOO SHIT MAN LET ME EXPLAIN MYSELF.

Um. So I am so sorry. I REALLY AM YOU GUYS DON'T UNDERSTAND, BUT LEMME TELL YOU, LIFE REEAAALLLLY LIKES TO PLAY WITH YOU. OKAY SO last time, I told you guys that I dropped out of college and went back home! AND I DID. And man, when you drop college and go home to your mom and your like "oh no what do i do with my life now" and your sobbing every day in bed, the depression that hits you is like a truck. Like ten trucks. So that period of depression was rough, but when I finally pulled myself together I got a job! And that was cool and all, for a little bit.

 _but then_ my college called me in july and they were like, "hey, you loser. we know you left and all but did you know you were only four classes away from getting your associate of science degree in comp animation? we know you were aiming for your bachelor's instead but finish what u started, prick."

(the guy didn't actually say that, he's actually quite nice, but that's what it felt like.)

i cried. _in public_. but then I was like, "YOU KNOW WHAT? FUCK IT. IM GETTING THAT ASSOCIATES, AND IM GONNA MAKE MY GODDAMN MONEY WORTH IT."

So yeah! I'm still at home with my mother but I've been finishing up my degree online, and this November is actually my last class! If I pass, then I'll graduate on the 20th and walk that stage like the fucking goddess I am. But even more than that, I've also been taking classes from a local community college so that I can also earn my normal Associate of Arts degree, just in case I really can't find a career in the entertainment/art industry. Adding to that, the system is fucked and I've had to start paying my student loans even though I'm still in school. I've juggled two jobs at some point, ended up dropping back to one, and just recently I've earned a new job that pays more than the first one I had, and now I am adjusting to this new job environment!

Basically, I'm at two colleges with a new job, might end up taking a second job depending on my family's needs, and... yeah, that's about it. Guys, it's been crazy.

But that's enough about me! Let's talk about the fic, 'cause it's been a long fucking time!

I had to go back and read the entire fic because when I sat down to re-write this chapter (I had a draft saved from like six months ago), I couldn't find a flow from the previous chapter and it was driving me crazy! This chapter has gone through like three re-writes and even now I'm not sure if it's good, BUT I PLAN TO ROLL WITH IT. _I'm so nervous to put this up, like honestly where did my confidence go._

Oh, but in reading my entire fic, I've come to realize that? This story? Is actually quite dramatic? I didn't plan for that lol. LIKE, I KNOW IT SOUNDS CRAZY CONSIDERING WHAT I'VE MADE TSUBASA GO THROUGH, BUT I DIDN'T PLAN FOR IT TO BE DRAMATIC? IT JUST KINDA HAPPENED? Also, I've realized that I kinda ramble with my descriptions? I didn't- I didn;t know? Do ya'll even like that wtf? I'm sO dumb?

Guys like I didn't even know that the fic was burning so slow, how come no one told me. (this is a joke please don't hurt me). LIKE IN REGARD TO ROMANTIC FANFICS, I DID NOT EVEN KNOW THAT THE TERM 'SLOW BURN' REFERRED TO A SLOW REALISATION OF ROMANTIC FEELINGS, I LEARNED THAT FROM MY FRIEND. I am, the dumbest piece of shit, aaaand you guys are gonna have to bear with me.

Because I _will_ finish this. ERASE ALL YOUR DOUBTS, _because this will get done._

...it's just gonna take some time. But guys. MARK THIS CHAPTER. BECAUSE IT IS THE BEGINNING OF TSU'S FEELINGS. SOMEONE RECORD IT IN THE HISTORY BOOKS.

I don't know when the next chapter will come out, but since I plan to stay home and continue working towards my normal AA degree from my second college after I graduate from the first college, I imagine that I'll have more time to write properly. Honestly, it all depends on how the universe feels about me. OH BUT GUYS QUICK QUESTION. WHEN THE HELL DID THIS GET 80 FOLLOWS? TALK ABOUT EXCITING. I LOVE HAVING MY OWN LITTLE GROUP TO CONFIDE IN, THIS IS SO COOL.

ANYWAY- that's all for now! I haven't been writing consistently so please feel free to leave a review and break my heart with critiques because I am so soft and so stressed but I am always looking to improve! For the new followers, _WELCOME TO THE CLOTH,_ do enjoy the ride 'cause it's always crazy here! For my old followers, HI IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN THANKS FOR STAYING, and for all of us stressing about life and how the universe hates us, let's remember to take a breath and take a break. We all need it, I'm sure!

Thanks for reading all this bullshit, thanks for your love and support and concern, your reviews (trust me I read all of them), follows and favorites, and mostly, thanks for putting up with me! I'll see ya next time!

-glasses cloth


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